The South African Unemployed Peoples' Movement is a

social movement A social movement is a loosely organized effort by a large group of people to achieve a particular goal, typically a social or political one. This may be to carry out a social change, or to resist or undo one. It is a type of group action and ma ...

with branches in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

Grahamstown Makhanda, also known as Grahamstown, is a town of about 140,000 people in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated about northeast of Port Elizabeth and southwest of East London. Makhanda is the largest town in the Makana ...

and

Limpopo Province Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

. It is often referred to as the Unemployed People's Movement or UPM. The organisation is strongly critical of the ruling

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

government.

Activities in Durban

On 15 July 2009, the movement announced that it would begin appropriating food from supermarkets in

if the state did not agree to consult with it on its demand for a basic income grant of R1,500 per month for all unemployed people. On 22 July 2009, the movement occupied the Checkers supermarket in Dr Pixley KaSeme Street and the Pick'n'Pay supermarket at The Workshop and began to eat food off the shelves without paying. Police said they arrested 44 people at Checkers and 50 people at Pick'n'Pay. Nozipho Mteshana, then the chairwoman of the movement, said that the appropriation of food in supermarkets would continue despite the arrests. She was placed under house arrest for 18 months following the protest. The movement has, working together with

Abahlali baseMjondolo Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM, , in English: "the residents of the shacks") is a socialist shack dwellers' movement in South Africa which organises land occupations, builds communes

, also organised a number of protests from the Zakheleni shack settlement in Umlazi, Durban.

Activities in Grahamstown

There is also a branch of the Unemployed People's Movement in

in the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...

. It argues for a bottom up system of democracy. Along with the struggle for employment, housing and electricity women's issues, including the demand for toilets and campaigns against rape, have emerged as key issues in Grahamstown. The movement has had some success in campaigning against corruption in Grahamstown. The movement has also opposed xenophobia. Its current chairperson is

Ayanda Kota Ayanda Kota is an activist who was the founding chairperson of the Unemployed Peoples' Movement in Grahamstown, South Africa. He is also the President of the Makana Football Association. His political roots are in the black consciousness movement ...

and the Grahamstown branch works closely with radical students. According to commentator Mazibuko Jara, "it has become the most powerful force in the Makana municipality. Its formation represented a collective recognition of the appetite for self-emancipation, and without self-organisation, the unemployed in Grahamstown might as well have remained on the margins of that divided small town. In its short two years of existence, the movement has marched, written deputations, submitted memorandums of demands, held sit-ins, held meetings with the state, used the law and more. It has challenged unemployment, poor-quality housing, lack of housing, lack of water and sanitation, lack of electricity and street lighting, violence against women and problems with the social security system. The movement has humanised politics by concerning themselves with how to rebuild the social fabric of a poor community."

Repression

The movement has suffered arrests in both Grahamstown and Durban. It claims that in Grahamstown the Municipality has often frustrated its right to protest.Protests unlikely to dent ANC support at polls BY TROYE LUND
''Financial Mail'', 10 October 2013

Notes and references

{{Reflist, 30em Housing in South Africa Social movements in South Africa

Activities in Durban

Activities in Grahamstown

Repression

Further reading

See also

Notes and references