Comments on: Marikana miners: The massacre of our illusions http://www.redpepper.org.uk/marikana-miners-the-massacre-of-our-illusions/ Red Pepper Sat, 16 Feb 2013 17:28:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Janet Driscoll http://www.redpepper.org.uk/marikana-miners-the-massacre-of-our-illusions/#comment-74307 Janet Driscoll Sun, 09 Sep 2012 18:08:02 +0000 http://www.redpepper.org.uk/?p=8369#comment-74307 www.marikana-truth.com The truth is there. http://www.marikana-truth.com

The truth is there.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.redpepper.org.uk/marikana-miners-the-massacre-of-our-illusions/#comment-73733 Anonymous Mon, 03 Sep 2012 01:50:33 +0000 http://www.redpepper.org.uk/?p=8369#comment-73733 South African establishment – the ANC, the old communist party SACP, the central Trade Union COSATU – all de facto tried to shield the police action even while ‘condoling’ by blaming the ‘aggressive’ behaviour of ACMU. They had some prior ‘evidences’ indeed: in January this year some workers died and after the start of this strike on August 10, in between 10/8 and 15/8 10 workers and 2 guards died in what they call ‘fighting between armed groups’; but in workers language that would be actions by armed goons. But ACMU quickly distanced itself from the militant workers of Marikana, those workers who in thousands assembled and indeed many of them had machetes, spears, clubs or sticks etc which made the scene resembling traditional African tribe people in war ceremony. Surely it had to do this. Though ACMU started its journey with a militant struggle and though it supported Marikana workers’ demand, it figures like a fully established TU in the mining-capitalists’ journals, it favours green shirts as against red-shirts of NUM and it is eager to show that it is non-communist; even miningmx or other mining bourgeois portals chronicled ‘The rise and rise of ACMU’; this central TU believes in peaceful coexistence and fair competition with NUM, the mining bourgeoisie’s weekly miningweekly.com introduces Mathunjwa to its readers and reports that the person who impressed Mathunjwa most is the monopolist WINDOWS owner Bill Gates for the latter’s ‘philanthropy’ in Africa & etc. So there is no chance of calling ACMU a ‘new’ union or a representative organisation of the ‘new trend’ of workers struggle that is emanating years after the defeat of the international working class movement. It is now widely known that he tried to abate the workers, in his words: ““I pleaded with them. I said leave this place, they're going to kill you,” said Mathunjwa, who later broke down in tears.” There are other reports to this effect too, like: “On the day of the killing about 3,000 striking miners were gathered on and just below the “mountain” (actually a small hill). Joseph Mathunjwa, president of their union, the AMCU, came and pleaded with them to leave to avoid a police attack. The miners refused. Within 15 minutes of Mathunjwa leaving, the police and army laid razor wire, separating the strikers from the Enkanini informal settlement, where many of them live. Casspirs (armoured cars), horses and water cannon moved up to encircle the workers.” It is clear that the workers, who might be accused of acting ‘foolish’, essentially refused to obey ACMU dictats. To the ‘Mail & Guardian’ of South Africa the ACMU chief Mathunjwa portrayed Marikana strikers who assembled and faced police bullets inside a trap set by the police as ‘disgruntled NUM members’ – he didn’t take their responsibility! This independent initiative of the workers, be that foolish or wise in some aspects or other, was also felt in the formulation of the demand. The demand of a wage of 12,500 Rand per month, demanding 300-400% rise, was also chalked by the miners themselves and ACMU supported this demand. The bourgeois press booed this demand of 3-or-4-fold-rise as absurd. The old established communist party SACP, in its condemnation message, didn’t forget to mention the ‘crisis’ and declining demand faced by platinum industry!! But there are such workers who after 27 years of service are getting 3000 Rand which in real (PPP) terms means nearly `10386 per month and that is only 29% of the average wage of SA! Even getting 4000 Rand also means not much, it is less than 40% of average wage figure of South Africa! So this ‘absurd demand’, ‘un-realistic fight’ and absurd sacrifice of 3 dozen lives — all these are reverberating now in the pits and shafts of other mines now – strike wave is spreading in other mines of South Africa. And defying the ultimatum of the Lonmin Company the Marikana miners are continuing their strike. A worker of RBIPlat said, ““I have two kids to take care of, I spend R850 for school transport, spend R700 for my travelling and R800 for rental. After all this I am left with nothing,” said Lebogang Mosito, who claimed to earn R4000.” Who are carrying the message? Not ACMU, evidently the spark is spreading spontaneously. South African establishment – the ANC, the old communist party SACP, the central Trade Union COSATU – all de facto tried to shield the police action even while ‘condoling’ by blaming the ‘aggressive’ behaviour of ACMU. They had some prior ‘evidences’ indeed: in January this year some workers died and after the start of this strike on August 10, in between 10/8 and 15/8 10 workers and 2 guards died in what they call ‘fighting between armed groups’; but in workers language that would be actions by armed goons.
But ACMU quickly distanced itself from the militant workers of Marikana, those workers who in thousands assembled and indeed many of them had machetes, spears, clubs or sticks etc which made the scene resembling traditional African tribe people in war ceremony. Surely it had to do this. Though ACMU started its journey with a militant struggle and though it supported Marikana workers’ demand, it figures like a fully established TU in the mining-capitalists’ journals, it favours green shirts as against red-shirts of NUM and it is eager to show that it is non-communist; even miningmx or other mining bourgeois portals chronicled ‘The rise and rise of ACMU’; this central TU believes in peaceful coexistence and fair competition with NUM, the mining bourgeoisie’s weekly miningweekly.com introduces Mathunjwa to its readers and reports that the person who impressed Mathunjwa most is the monopolist WINDOWS owner Bill Gates for the latter’s ‘philanthropy’ in Africa & etc. So there is no chance of calling ACMU a ‘new’ union or a representative organisation of the ‘new trend’ of workers struggle that is emanating years after the defeat of the international working class movement. It is now widely known that he tried to abate the workers, in his words: ““I pleaded with them. I said leave this place, they’re going to kill you,” said Mathunjwa, who later broke down in tears.” There are other reports to this effect too, like: “On the day of the killing about 3,000 striking miners were gathered on and just below the “mountain” (actually a small hill). Joseph Mathunjwa, president of their union, the AMCU, came and pleaded with them to leave to avoid a police attack. The miners refused. Within 15 minutes of Mathunjwa leaving, the police and army laid razor wire, separating the strikers from the Enkanini informal settlement, where many of them live. Casspirs (armoured cars), horses and water cannon moved up to encircle the workers.” It is clear that the workers, who might be accused of acting ‘foolish’, essentially refused to obey ACMU dictats. To the ‘Mail & Guardian’ of South Africa the ACMU chief Mathunjwa portrayed Marikana strikers who assembled and faced police bullets inside a trap set by the police as ‘disgruntled NUM members’ – he didn’t take their responsibility!
This independent initiative of the workers, be that foolish or wise in some aspects or other, was also felt in the formulation of the demand. The demand of a wage of 12,500 Rand per month, demanding 300-400% rise, was also chalked by the miners themselves and ACMU supported this demand. The bourgeois press booed this demand of 3-or-4-fold-rise as absurd. The old established communist party SACP, in its condemnation message, didn’t forget to mention the ‘crisis’ and declining demand faced by platinum industry!! But there are such workers who after 27 years of service are getting 3000 Rand which in real (PPP) terms means nearly `10386 per month and that is only 29% of the average wage of SA! Even getting 4000 Rand also means not much, it is less than 40% of average wage figure of South Africa! So this ‘absurd demand’, ‘un-realistic fight’ and absurd sacrifice of 3 dozen lives — all these are reverberating now in the pits and shafts of other mines now – strike wave is spreading in other mines of South Africa. And defying the ultimatum of the Lonmin Company the Marikana miners are continuing their strike. A worker of RBIPlat said, ““I have two kids to take care of, I spend R850 for school transport, spend R700 for my travelling and R800 for rental. After all this I am left with nothing,” said Lebogang Mosito, who claimed to earn R4000.” Who are carrying the message? Not ACMU, evidently the spark is spreading spontaneously.

]]> By: j_750 http://www.redpepper.org.uk/marikana-miners-the-massacre-of-our-illusions/#comment-73248 j_750 Mon, 27 Aug 2012 10:04:14 +0000 http://www.redpepper.org.uk/?p=8369#comment-73248 "Marikana now joins the ranks of the Sharpeville and Boipatong massacres in the odious history of a method of capital accumulation based on violence." Parallels with aspects of the earlier system are difficult to overlook. Some things don't seem to have changed, unfortunately... at least not fast enough. The ANC has been disappointing when it comes to addressing the social and financial gulf dividing what is essentially two S. Africas. “Marikana now joins the ranks of the Sharpeville and Boipatong massacres in the odious history of a method of capital accumulation based on violence.”

Parallels with aspects of the earlier system are difficult to overlook. Some things don’t seem to have changed, unfortunately… at least not fast enough. The ANC has been disappointing when it comes to addressing the social and financial gulf dividing what is essentially two S. Africas.

]]>