Women protest around the Marikana platinum mines area where over 40 people were killed in a week of labor unrest. The South African government has ordered a commission of inquiry to find out the truth of what happened., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
15 August 2013
Tomorrow, Friday 16 August 2013, will mark the first year since the tragic and regrettable loss of life of mineworkers in Marikana. The SACP takes this opportunity once more to extend words of comfort to those who lost their loved ones on that fateful day and days preceding the 16th of August 2012 and subsequent days.
The SACP is deeply concerned that a year later, the work of the commission that was set up to get to the bottom of what caused the situation has not concluded its work. We call for the speedy conclusion of the work of the commission. The SACP hopes that the commission will also attend to the broader systemic, underlying issues around the mining areas and the mining industry.
The SACP is also extremely worried by the narrow interests of legal practitioners that seem to be stalling progress in so far as the work of the commission is concerned. The Commission has unfortunately become a lawyers` commission than an enquiry into the death of mineworkers and the situation and conditions under which moneworkers live and work.
The SACP notes that the situation in Marikana and in mining generally remains still very tense. Killings of people associated with the NUM continue unabated. We call on law enforcement agencies to act with decisiveness in stopping the ongoing violence and killings. We further call on the police to arrest known suspects who still walk freely, yet they are suspected of having committed murder. Our courts must also be seen to be prioritizing the cases of those who have already been arrested so that they can face the full might of the law and consequences of their actions.
The SACP calls on the workers to remain true and steadfast in their support and membership of the NUM, the only truly revolutionary union in the sector that will advance their interests and aspirations. Workers must not allow themselves to be sweet-talked by vigilante groups who are propped up by the bosses masquerading as unions. Worker unity must never be compromised. These vigilante groupings are not committed to a peaceful co-existence, and that is why they cannot even do a decent thingh like putting their signatures on a peace agreement. What kind of workers shoot and kill other workers merely because they do not want to be in your union?
The best way to honour all those who have perished in and around Marikana is stronger NUM organisation.
Issued by the SACP
Contact:
Malesela Maleka
SACP Spokesperson - 082 226 1802
Has the Farlam Commission lost its way?
6 August 2013
When it was announced on the 23 August 2012, the SACP strongly welcomed President Jacob Zuma`s decision to establish a Commission of Inquiry into the events and circumstances surrounding the Marikana tragedy. The commission is headed by retired judge Ian Farlam with an honourable track record as an advocate during the apartheid years, and later as a judge in the Supreme Court of Appeal.
However, the SACP`s original positive reception of the commission has turned to increasing concern at the manner in which it is being conducted. We believed that the commission would essentially be an inquiry with investigative powers into the systemic underpinnings of the terrible tragedy that unfolded at Marikana. Clearly there are serious concerns around police procedures and of command control and coordination. Clearly, also, the tragedy of August 16 2012 occurred in the context of chronic levels of sustained violence and lawlessness in the informal settlements on the platinum belt in the weeks and even years preceding August 16. The responsibilities of the state, the mining houses, the established and emerging unions, the local municipalities, the traditional leadership structures all need objective and cool-headed examination.
However, instead of a well-focused commission of inquiry the proceedings have been turned into a lawyer-heavy, quasi-criminal court process, starring a bevy of highly paid advocates and their teams. Some of the lawyers appear to be more interested in vying for the limelight and claiming billable hours, than in making a serious contribution to establishing a common understanding of the tragedy.
The commission is not a criminal court and its key role is surely to provide advice on strong remedial interventions to correct the systemic factors behind the tragedy.
This is all the more the case given the fact that the situation around Marikana remains extremely volatile. As the commission drags on, murders and violence continue, the police appear to be demoralised, claiming that their “hands are tied”, and many of those responsible for actual crimes in the days preceding and following August 16 2012 remain at large and unpunished.
The SACP, whilst respecting judge Farlam, calls for a more focused investigation into all the issues that has had a bearing on the tragedy.
Issued by the SACP
Contact:
Malesela Maleka
SACP Spokesperson – 082 226 1802
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