Not enough is coming into the coffers to pay half-decent wages and cover the minimum capital investments the state must make.

ECONOMIST: Chaos in the government, penury outside it

" Reich recently wrote that providing a bottom line beneath which workers' hourly pay must not fall is the nation's moral duty, and "a decent society should do no less.

CNN: What if there were no minimum wage?

With employers like Liu calling for a lower minimum wage, South Africa finds itself in a situation where it is desperate to create work, but unable to guarantee what the government considers decent pay.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

"Of course, we eventually want to pay our teachers decent wages, " says Tang Xingsheng, who is in charge of the university's housing program.

CNN: PLENTY OF ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT