SOUTH Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema, no stranger to making controversial speeches, has encouraged “poor people” not to be ashamed to have children, promising that should the party take over governance after this year’s elections, it would double social grant payouts.
“Comrades, make children. I will pay for it. We will double child social grants from R510 to R1 020. Our children deserve better.
Please don’t be lazy. Make children,” Malema said when speaking to hundreds of supporters during a provincial manifesto launch in East London on Thursday. The party plans to increase grants for older people from R2 090 to R4 180. The grant for people living with disabilities would increase from R2 090 to R4 180 and the grant for children from R510 to R1 020.
According to a department of social development report at the end of August 2023, there were 11 876 076 people receiving state-funded social grants. The Eastern Cape accounted for 2 885 821 out of the total, with 43 percent of the province’s population dependent on grants.
Malema believes doubling social grants would help reduce levels of poverty. “I do not care whether you are poor, make children. We must multiply ourselves and leave a legacy through our children. “They say to me, ‘Why do you say people must have children, but they are poor.
How are they going to feed these children?’ I was born to a poor family, but being born to a poor family doesn’t mean you are going to die poor. You can change that family and make it a better family. Give birth to children who are going to change families,” he said.
With South Africa battling with teenage pregnancies, Malema said his encouragement for people to have children was directed at adults and not children. “The poor have a right to make children. When we say make children we are not speaking to children. Children must go to school.”
The red berets’ leader promised under his government people living with disabilities would have state-built houses within a year. “The state can give all disabled people houses within a year. There are not many disabled people in your own section, where you come from.
That is why it is practically possible to give all disabled people proper houses. “We want every government office to have a person who can speak sign language. Those are our people. If you cannot take care of such people, how can you take care of us? You must start with those, then we know you have a good heart and you will take care of all of us.” — TimesLIVE