JOIN THE UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE’S MOVEMENT (UPM)

A TOOL TO UNDERSTAND THE WAY THINGS ARE AND THE WAY THINGS CHANGE

A paper delivered by the Convenor of the Unemployed People’s Movement at the meeting held at Rhodes University, Politics Department, Grahamstown on the 22 January 2010.

The Chairperson, Rhodes University Staff Members and students, distinguished guests, militants of the Unemployed People’s Movement, ladies and gentlemen please receive my revolutionary greetings. Revolution is no tea party or a gathering of friends; those who pursue it do so under cruel and hostile circumstances. At times we wonder and we want to quit. Our undying love for our people, our country and our freedom give us the strength to continue.

The Unemployment has become an endemic feature of the South African economy. At this time it is estimated that roughly 43% of the working age population in the country is unemployed. The same estimates have been that 73% of these consist of young people who should have entered the labour market during the present cycle. The statistics includes people who are begging on the side of the road for money, hawkers and those who have become so discouraged that they have given up looking for work. If we were to look at unemployment with honesty and veracity the unemployment rate would definitely be above 50%. This must be summed up as a human tragedy. Because of this terminally sick state of affairs our people are vulnerable to diseases, broken families, domestic violence, rape, high rate of crime, moral decay, high level of illiteracy and all other social ills that are synonymous with unemployment.

Despite the promise of neo liberal policy of 500 000 jobs, our people have lost 484 000 jobs in the period between July and September 2009. The economic system of our country calls for the army of the unemployed for it to survive; it survives on the misery of the poor. The spirals are going down; as they are going to the grave they are determined to take us along in the form of hunger, diseases, climate change and poverty. This is negation of destruction, worse than Tsunami and it is happening right under our nose. If we look very close, deeper than the surface, this state of affairs can be equated to the earth quake that has recently killed innocent people in Haiti. This country is rich in mineral resources yet its people remain poorer and are starving to death.

It is for this reason that today we have Unemployed People’s Movement. This is a noble movement born by the material conditions; it does not spring from the head of the individual. Our programmes include popular education; here we raise the awareness and consciousness of the people to understand the way things are and the way things change. There is a popular song that says we are eradicating poverty, but the question remains what causes poverty? We are not fighting the symptoms but we are fighting the causality. The causality is the macro economic policy of the government.

Comrades when we formed this movement we made a lifetime commitment that is to sign with our blood. We have signed with our blood. No amount of intimidation, suppression or assassination can ever deter us in our cause to fight for the fundamental rights of our people, a right to employment. We have been called names, counter revolutionaries, third force, or anti democratic, we had our meetings disrupted by the agents of provocateur and we have experienced threats. The message of shoot to kill from the government has raised more concerns; it seems if you have a dissenting view from the government you are the enemy. Because we have signed with our blood we will fight for the fundamental rights of our people, we are fully aware that change is pain, if we pray for rain we must understand that it will be precipitated by thunder and lightning, those amongst us who want to go to heaven must understand that death is a necessity and if we want change we must be courageous because change comes at a price. We are championing the struggle of people of Vukani who are living in RDP house that are falling apart due to corruption and poor workmanship, weak bricks, leaking water pipes, roofs, drains and toilets. Our local Municipality is distancing itself, they refuse to have anything to do with the RDP houses built in our are, though in terms of health and safety the municipality must ensure that conditions not conducive to the heath and safety of the inhabitants of its area of jurisdiction are prevented or removed, the story of RDP houses in our area is a story of fraud, general mismanagement and corruption, we are championing the struggles of people who live in Ethembeni, they do not have toilets, running water, roads and electricity, we constitute millions of our people who are unemployed, who wake up everyday in the morning to catch trains, taxis and buses to go and search for work, some have committed suicide due to the depression that comes with unemployment, some have become so discouraged that are now drowning in alcohol.

We have suffered hardships for years, unemployment, poverty, diseases, hunger and our dignity forfeited as a people. We have allowed the weak and faint hearted to deceive us for too long, we have allowed the leaderless leadership to plunder our resources for too long. Abnormal has become normal, our people have been fed with lies, lies and lies of better life for all. The wealth continues to reside in the hands of the few, the ruling class, and those who rule this country on behalf of the ruling class, are plundering the resources of our country, they are forever paying lobola, they get married weekend in and weekend out, polygamists, and they have become male chauvinists who have no regard for the rights of women. Comrades in truth our leaders have become the nuts and blots of the machine that oppresses us.

We must fight back, we must fight back for a society run on the basis of need not profit, for the millions not millionaires, we fighting back for a society whose means of production will be control by the working people, they produce the wealth and in all fairness they must control it. We must fight back khonukuze sidle sonke!

By; Ayanda Kota Convenor of the Unemployed People’s Movement

ayandakota [at] webmail.co.za; 078 625 6462

Introduction

I was approached by UPM co-ordinator Mr Ayanda Kota to assist in the funding of the cause of UPM. After asserting their vision I agreed to help. The UPM is struggling, just like any other organisation. Funds are required for the purpose of communication, airtime and transport to carry out the daily task, for rent of office, funds for general administration. I’ve first offered a temporary office space at my own building and this was a temporary move and now they are operating from my home, they are using my home as their base, in fact they have taken over, I am now a tenant. The house also plays a major role for interacting. There is no funding for UPM and the local government is not helping in any way, it is a struggle just to get a community hall. The UPM requires funding to sustain itself. The question is not where we get the funding but to fund and have resources beyond our present level to further our aims and objectives in context of uplifting the quality of the life of the poor. To assist with daily airtime and transport fees when important meeting take place. I assist with food hampers during ward meetings and regional meetings. I accommodate and welcome UPM members in my home. This social movement must be supported.

Unemployment has reached alarming proportions in Grahamstown, it is estimated that 70 of the population is unemployed. This is a noble movement that require our support. They are agents of change. They are embodiment of Hope.

By; Mahomed Rafiq Moorad

17 Anderson Street
Grahamstown
6140
071 922 1227

Film on the Struggle of the Unemployed People’s Movement

http://www.zoopy.com/video/2lcs/service-delivery-protests-in-grahamstown?browse=6x7z

The film maker is Xola Mali, the Media & Communications Officer of the Unemployed People’s Movement. He can be contacted on 072 299 5253