Amandla! interviewed Khokhoma Motsi, a leader of the Botshabelo Unemployed Movement (BUM), to understand how they have gone about the challenging task of organising unemployed people. This is what he had to say:

Khokhoma Motsi: We started in 1999. We were about four comrades who saw a need to organise the unemployed people around our area because we have seen the number of unemployed people going up. And then we asked ourselves: we are organising them for what? That was when there was a suggestion that we link them with different Setas to get different skills. 

Secondly, we organised them for political education so that they could understand the situation they found themselves in. The Christians say it is by the grace of God, but we understand that it is a man-made disaster or crisis. By then we saw that crisis, and we see even now that we were right. The stats are going up rather than going down. By then, we thought it will be a temporary thing, for the unemployed to fight for the right to work, because it is not in the constitution. Those were the things that prompted comrades to build the Botshabelo Unemployed Movement. 

Thirdly, when we were on that road, we met with other organisations during COP17 because we were part of COP 17 in Durban. We talked about how we can unite this struggle of the unemployed people, because now we need to put politics in that struggle. Our comrades must understand local, national and international politics. And then we got support from the Alternative Information and Development Centre (AIDC) in Cape Town. So that’s how we started. 

Amandla! What have been your most valued achievement—the highlights of this long process?

When we started, we were working under a tree, and then we got an office. I think it’s an achievement. And then we started building the branches around Botshabelo.

KM: Some things are small things, but really, they are achievements. When we started, we were working under a tree, and then we got an office. I think it’s an achievement. And then, we started building the branches around Botshabelo. Even now, we are continuing to move to other areas in the province as well. I think that is also an achievement. Thirdly, we started political workshops with our allies like progressive NGOs and others. We started political workshops with our comrades to ‘tune up their skop’ so that they can stand up for their issues. Our constitution clearly states that they must be politically aware so that they can reject those laws that don’t favour them and fight for themselves. They must not wait for Motsi and the executive committee to take their hands. 

And then we also managed, as an organisation, to be part of the Assembly of the Unemployed (AoU) and the Cry of the Xcluded, and build them, and they have grown till today. We also implemented campaigns like Climate Change and the One Million Climate Jobs signature campaign. Fighting inequality, fighting austerity. We are part of marches at the national level, as an organisation not as an individual. Because when one represents the AoU, he has been seconded to that structure by BUM. And then we have an ecology garden at our office.

But the most important achievement is to have a core group of comrades who understand our situation, and who will never go and look for work because they understand that there is no work in this country. Their work is to be at the office and implement the programmes of the organisation. We must try by all means to fight back. And we can see that we have energetic comrades who are really doing exactly that.

A!: You must have faced challenges along the way. Tell us about some of them and how you have overcome them.

KM: You lose comrades because most of them are youth. The biggest problem is when you are losing the best comrades either to ANC or to EFF. When they started building EFF in our province, particularly in Botshabelo, we felt it at BUM. That included those comrades whom we put a lot of resources in terms of educating them about the situation and the current political situation in the country. 

And then we also managed, as an organisation, to be part of the Assembly of the Unemployed (AoU) and the Cry of the Xcluded and build them, and they have grown until today.

When you organise unemployed people, they think that you organise them to get money. When you call a meeting, it is very difficult for people to attend your meeting. We had to teach our people that they are unemployed and they must attend the meetings, so that we plan together with them. That was a big challenge. Because when ANC calls a meeting, they know that’s where there are food parcels. It was a challenge. Especially the issue of funds. Now, we are fighting the current regime. And it’s difficult to get funds to build. When we get funds, as little as they are, they are really assisting a lot. By then it was really a challenge; we could not even have tea in the office. But now it’s better. 

And then the other thing is when Covid came there was a big challenge of how do we meet using these computers. That was a big challenge for us to meet as an organisation. 

A!: It sounds like your main strategies are really organising and educating. 

KM: Exactly. When you organise on the ground, that is exactly what you should do. You should mobilise people, two or three people, talk to them, talk about their situation, hear from them, and then come in with assistance, not as Motsi, but as an organisation. And you listen to them as well, so that you can work. And so that they can trust exactly what you are saying. That is the way we are doing it.

A!: Which leads me to ask you what lessons you have earned over the years, from your experience.

KM: I think that I learned a lesson particularly in terms of elections. You should have both funds and human resources. People on the ground really need to know you. And that is the work we are doing currently. Secondly, we have learned that in capitalism, or where capitalism is being implemented, those who are on the Left are struggling in terms of funds. And then also it taught me how important political education is. 

A!: Explain a bit more about your experience of elections

KM: You should properly know your story when you’re dealing with the IEC in terms of registration. If there is any mistake, and you submit late, you won’t even participate. Currently, IEC doesn’t do its work in terms of educating communities about elections. Then, the media covers the bigger organisations. We don’t see the smaller ones, only your ANC, your DA, your EFF. They won’t cover these smallanyana organisations, unless someone has got a connection at SABC. That is what happened in Makanda, where at least the Makana Citizens Front (MCF) have been given that platform through some of our comrades. 

And then also, we have seen that people are not voting, particularly youth. So there’s a lot of work that needs to be done among the youth going into election and how they participate in the daily politics of their country. They can’t just sit somewhere smoking nyaope and not participating in their situation. 

A!: Why did you decide to stand in the local government elections in 2021?

KM: It was coming through our programmes that we are doing. For the last election, people who were the beneficiaries of our soup kitchen, they were pushing for that. It was community members who pushed us to take part in elections. But also, it was a strategic move. Because if we have a seat or two in the council, we could influence some of the people in terms of how we present our issues in that council. Even if we know that we could not influence the decision, because in a council decisions come through voting. And it is important also for information, to have someone in that council. It is a strategic position. In the local government elections, unfortunately, we didn’t manage enough votes to make a PR councilor.