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.
In January, we sent out our annual survey, asking the amandla.mobi community what you think the top issues facing our country are and how we can continue our collective work for a just and people-powered Mzansi. The responses to the survey continue to inform our strategies and actions, ensuring we’re tackling the issues that matter most to you.
This year’s survey results revealed that most members of our movement, like yourself, care about these top three issues: social welfare, unemployment and the rising cost of living.
The figure above indicates the percentages on which issues we should prioritise this year.
1. Social grants/welfare: This year started with most of our members alerting us to the continued issues of exclusion with the now R370 grant. Members who used to receive the grant raised various concerns, such as struggling with appeals and being unable to reach SASSA to resolve their issues. More still has to be done to ensure the R370 grant is administered properly.
The lead-up to the elections saw more parties increasingly supporting the call for a Basic Income Grant (BIG). The ANC mentioned they will implement a BIG in two years that is funded by taxing the wealthy. This is a step in the right direction despite the R370 grant being used as a stepping stone. Our demands have made it clear that the R370 grant should be fixed and given to everyone who qualifies. We are still waiting to see what will happen next regarding BIG, but we will not stop putting pressure on political parties regarding the promises they made. A member of our team, Tlou Seopa, who is the lead on economic justice, got an opportunity to direct all questions regarding BIG to different members of political parties. Please watch the response she got back here: https://youtu.be/V1LTAj8MI1s?t=3042
2. Cost of living/economic fairness: Over 17,700 people added their names to the Food Prices Must Fall Petition. We continue to mobilise and collect signatures. In August 2023, the government instructed the economic cluster to put in place a plan to protect consumers from the negative effects of high food prices [1]. We have to push to demand results on what they have done so far as many families continue to struggle to put food on the table.
3. Unemployment and access to opportunities: Unemployment remains one of the major concerns for most of our members. Last year, we supported campaigns trying to curb unemployment, such as the expungement petitions and the Youth Capital campaign calling for funding for presidential youth employment initiatives. Just before the Budget Speech in February 2024, we submitted 24,500 signatures to the Minister of Finance, demanding the continuation of funding of short-term work opportunities that are part of the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES). When Finance Minister Godongwana delivered his budget speech in Parliament on 21 February, he announced that R7.4 billion had been identified for the Presidential Employment Initiative (PYEI). We have since learned that an additional R2 billion is being allocated for this Initiative, which is a great win in times of fiscal constraints! While other public employment programmes received some funding cuts, it was much less than hinted at in the medium-term budget speech in October 2023.
For the expungements petition, one member who signed the petition left this comment:
“I was found guilty of common assault in 1984 when I was a student and was fined R20. I assumed that the criminal record would automatically expire, but I only discovered recently that it’s still active. I felt that this was unfair as I have missed many job opportunities. I fail to understand why we have to go through the tedious and expensive route of applying and being charged huge amounts of money to get clearance, as this is unfair”
*Comment slightly edited for clarity.
Many people, like Bongani, who posted this comment, are not even aware they have criminal records until they have to apply for a job. They even get more discouraged when they find out how long and costly the process of clearing one’s record takes. This is why Wayne Jean-Pierre set up this petition on awethu. mobi to ensure people who have paid their debt to society, like Bongani, are able to get a second chance through the automatic expungement of their records. If we care about the issue of high unemployment and reducing it, we have to work together to reform our justice system to make the expungement process accessible so people are not shut off from accessing employment opportunities because of a criminal record.
We also asked amandla.mobi members what we can do to improve our work, and the top suggestions were increased visibility, workshops, more ways to get involved, regular communications and more campaigns. We continue to work on sending out regular updates and looking for new and fresher ways to campaign. The feedback we receive from members is well appreciated.
Since the cabinet for the 7th administration has been formed, we have yet another opportunity to put more pressure on elected leaders and to hold them to the promises they made during elections. This also allows us to reflect on the efforts made in the year’s first half and how we can improve and escalate using different tactics moving forward. We appreciate the response we received from members, whether you took the survey online or you indicated you want to be called back, these efforts are appreciated.
This is what some of you had to say about being a part of amandla.mobi:
“amandla.mobi is helping us a lot, they fought and got the SRD grant extended and I believe that their work is important”
“amandla.mobi stands for everything I believe in. People coming together to pressure our leaders and fight for change”
“Because amandla.mobi values accountability and tries to get our leaders to account and do their jobs right”
“I’m a member of amandla.mobi because I want to see our society and communities benefit from the wealth they generate for this country.”
“You helped me with my petition to keep LO in schools; it was amazing and I think made a huge difference; LO is still in schools! Your work is incredibly helpful. I also like your other causes and know you make a difference.”
*Comments are slightly edited for clarity.
As we continue to celebrate our anniversary, we would like to shine the spotlight on different campaign starters who make amandla. mobi what is today. Be sure to follow us on our social media on Facebook and Twitter and join us in celebrating and uplifting those who make our movement strong.
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.
Together for justice, ✊🏿
Koketso for the amandla.mobi team
References
[1] Plan to shield SA from high food prices on the way. Thando Maeko for Business Day. 30 May 2024 https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/economy/2023-08-31-plan-to-shield-sa-from-high-food-prices-on-the-way/
