The Unemployed People’s Movement (UPM) in Grahamstown has called on the government to announce a guaranteed income of R2 000 per month for all unemployed and underemployed people of South Africa.
The Unemployed People’s Movement (UPM) in Grahamstown has called on the government to announce a guaranteed income of R2 000 per month for all unemployed and underemployed people of South Africa.
This request comes in response to revelations over the weekend that head of the ANC Youth League, Julius Malema, has profited from more than R130-million worth of tenders in just two years.
In a press statement released this week, UPM spokesperson Xoli Mali said they believed that the government is “corrupt and fraudulent beyond repair”.
As a result, “our country remains the most unequal in the world, where half of the population is unemployed”.
Mali said that “the gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’ is widening every day”. In Grahamstown alone, “60% of the youth are roaming the streets”, he said.
According to Monday’s press release, many people live in poverty and millions are unemployed for most of their adult lives.
The UPM feels that despite this country being rich in resources, the majority of South Africans remain poor. When asked about Malema’s profits, Mali said he did not believe an investigation would help.
“They are all corrupt,” he said. “On his own Malema is not a threat. It is Malema with his administration that is the real threat.
If we remove Malema, someone like him will take his place.” UPM announced that they will call upon all progressive movements, organisations and individuals to rally behind the call for a guaranteed R2 000 monthly income.
