Nkhensani Chauke
THE Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) Joseph Mathunjwa has condemned the continuing injustice towards the victims and survivors of the Marikana Massacre.
Mathunjwa was speaking during the 12th commemoration of the tragedy and said this day commemorates the fake democratic state that killed its people who put it in power.
“Today we haven’t seen any politician and senior police hierarchy who were involved in conducting this massacre behind bars so justice hasn’t been served,” he said.
According to Mathunjwa, President Cyril Ramaphosa has still not visited Marikana, reflecting a well-planned attack to protect foreign direct investors and disregard of South Africans.
He said that mine workers in South Africa remained exploited and underappreciated, and that the union would continue placing emphasis on commemorating the incident for as long as the underlying issues remained unresolved.
AMCU deputy president Manyathi Phutuma said over the past 12 years the union has managed to push for an increase in the basic wage.
“We have managed to push it at least to a point where there has never been an increase of less than a thousand and that has managed to push them over the past 12 years because if you take that R4 000 together with the 12 years increase of R1000 increase every year, they’re now sitting at the minimum for the lowest paid employee is sitting on R16 000 on basic, excluding other benefits,” Phutuma said.
However, mine workers in the Platinum Belt in North West have said their living conditions remained appalling, with some saying that in terms of basic services such as water, electricity and sanitation, nothing has substantially changed.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) commemorated the tragedy as a foundational catalyst in the formation of their party.
National spokesperson Leigh-Ann Mathys said the massacre revealed the naked truth of South Africa’s post-apartheid reality.
“The EFF was born from the ashes of Marikana, with a vow to never let the sacrifices of those miners be in vain. We stand firm in our commitment to the memory of the Marikana miners,” Mathys said.
Build One South Africa (BOSA)’s Roger Solomon said there has been no closure and completion of justice for the families who are now fatherless and has called upon Ramaphosa to declare 16 August Marikana day.
The Marikana Massacre occurred on 16 August 2021, in the North West province, where 34 striking mine workers were mowed down with machine guns by the South African Police Service (SAPS).
The incident drew widespread condemnation not only in South Africa but internationally and highlighted the issue of police brutality, corporate responsibility , and the state of labour relations in the country.
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