Our host Mongi takes us into 2022 with the first story share of the year. 

 

Nkululeko Major works at the Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute as a Social Security researcher. This is where he encountered the Universal Basic Income Grant or UBIG.

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Born and raised in a township in the East Rand, going to Rhodes University was both a cultural and academic shock. From being an A student he got 15% for his first politics essay. But since he is now a PHD candidate, we suspect he got up to speed pretty quickly. Despite focusing on maths and physics at school, Nkululeko explains that studying politics was a natural fit, for as his name suggests, he was interested in seeing a more equitable society where " people can become free."

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Academia can be the antithesis to business but not for Nkululeko. While still at school, his friends all got to play outside, he helped his father with his business. This entrepreneurial spirit connects Nkululeko with all who would be helped with the UBIG, as he busts the myth of it being a “hand out” which encourages complacency, and talks us through research which shows it is used by its recipients to generate even more money and entrepreneurial activity.

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He reminds us that education at all levels, from policy makers to the average citizen to those in dire need of the UBIG, is the foundational key to making it become a reality. If you want to be exposed to solutions for South Africa and navigate your way around what UBIG is all about, this is essential listening!