We ran the member survey last year to get an understanding of who makes up our members, where they are are located and what makes them members of amandla .mobi. These responses then give us a chance to set an agenda that we all collectively decide on. So far most of the campaign actions from this year were shaped by the results of the member survey.
“I believe amandla . mobi is playing an important role in pushing our digital public spaces to be more inclusive, responsive and representative of the people of South Africa”
* Slightly edited for clarity
This quote is just one of many responses from members when we asked why are you part of amandla.mobi?
We ran the member survey last year to get an understanding of who makes up our members, where they are are located and what makes them members of amandla .mobi. These responses then give us a chance to set an agenda that we all collectively decide on. So far most of the campaign actions from this year were shaped by the results of the member survey.
Who are your fellow amandla .mobi members? The majority are low-income, are women, and are Black. No matter who you are, we are united by our belief that we can hold decision-makers to account when we act together to amplify the voices of those most impacted by injustice.
The survey results show that the top three issues our campaigns must prioritise are social grants, unemployment and the cost of living, especially food prices.
1. Social Grants: Earlier this year, over 500 amandla.mobi members and partner organisations protested outside the SASSA head office. We then marched to the Union Buildings to call on President Ramaphosa to increase social grants, including increasing, extending and turning the R350 grant into a Basic Income Grant (BIG) [1]. Government has taken some positive steps, but we continue to monitor for developments and respond to problems such as the recent payment glitch [2].
Figure 1. This image was taken at the Union Building earlier this year when we handed over a memorandum of demands to the office of the Presidency.
2. Food Prices: Our campaigns have helped secure some social grant increases over the years, including the extension of the R350 grant. But, if we don’t address high food prices, social grants will put less and less food on the table. The member survey shows that many members struggle with food prices, especially cooking oil and maize meal.
Figure 2. We shared this image on our Facebook page to show the food items that members complained are now more expensive to buy in 2022/2023.
We launched a food price campaign, starting with a petition calling on the President and key Ministers to address high food prices, such as giving the Competition Commission and Tribunal more power to fine big businesses who profiteer at our expense. Over 17,000 people have added their names to the petition. Momentum is building with the Comp Comm investigating supermarket profiteering, and Cabinet is looking at an action plan to combat rising food prices [3].
3. Unemployment: Members mentioned unemployment as one of the top issues we need to campaign more on, and we have supported members setting up and launching petitions on awethu. mobi to address different issues contributing to unemployment, such as funding for the Presidential Youth Unemployment Initiative, the withholding of qualifications and clearing criminal records.
We asked amandla .mobi members what we can do to improve our work, and the top suggestions were more campaigns, faster communication, workshops, visibility and more protest actions.
We have been working hard to raise funds to improve our work. This includes improving awethu. mobi and helping our growing community to set up campaigns on issues directly affecting them in their communities.
We continue to engage with members daily, but sometimes, our resources are limited, and we cannot get back to everyone. We are working on improving our communication and visibility. This includes sending regular updates. We appreciate the feedback from our members, and as a small team, we will be working to improve our efficiency.
There were other issues raised that should be prioritised, these issues include GBV, service delivery, housing, and racism, among others. We created www.awethu.mobi so members can also set up their own petitions and act along with others to seek justice in their own communities.
These are some of the quotes from members on why they are a part of amandla. mobi :
“I am a member of amandla.mobi because I support and want to see people who are not working work and those who cannot receive grants receive them and be treated equally”
“Every time there’s been an issue that required us to sign or send comments, I often receive messages saying the issue has been resolved”
“Because amandla helps us with raising the concerns we face in our country and for campaigning for our rights” – Boitumelo
“Whilst I feel I’m not doing as much as I probably can to bring about change, I figure…
every little bit counts. If petitioning brings about some kind of change, I’m for it”
“I believe it’s playing an important role in pushing our (digital) public spaces to be more inclusive, responsive and representative of the people of SA”
“I also believe that government should not have closed-door meetings, especially when people are affected”
* Slightly edited for clarity
Thank you to all our members for being part of our movement for justice. Your actions and feedback are what drives us.
Together for justice,
Koketso for the amandla .mobi team
[1] Press Release- President Ramaphosa, our demands for SONA are clear. amandla. mobi. 03 February 2023.
[2] Social Grants Debacle, some recipients yet to be paid. ENCA. 22 September 2023.
[3] Cabinet approves action plan on food prices. SA Government News Agency. 31 August 2023.
