Ettione Ferreira
Recently I watched the documentary by Rehad Desai, “Miners Shot Down”. The documentary investigated the Marikana massacre in South Africa where Lonmin Miners were shot down by the South African Police Service.
For those who aren’t too sure what this was all about, let me explain:
In 2012 Lonmin Mine drillers wanted a raise in salary to R12 500.00, to compensate for the harsh, dangerous conditions which they have to work in underground.
To put this in perspective think of the Turkish miners who died recently in a very gruesome way. Death looms over these miners each day as they spend their day in the shadows with little oxygen and very unhealthy environments. R12 500.00 is not that much when thinking about the families they have to take care of.
Getting back to the massacre, the miners tried to approach their union, NUM (National Union of Mineworkers) which was affiliated with Cyril Ramaphosa – a prominent name in the Apartheid days. However, those days are gone and we’ve entered a new era filled with corruption and greed. Cyril is now a shareholder in Lonmin mines. What a turnaround for him! He is also now, two years later, the Deputy President of South Africa…interesting development considering his part in the Marikana massacre.
NUM did not help the miners at all and kept quiet during their struggle to get management’s attention. During one of the days of striking, 11 August, witnesses claim that NUM members opened fire onto the strikers.
After this things started to get aggressive and violent as striking miners. During the next few days, a further eight people were killed which included miners, police officers and security guards. All parties considered contributed to the escalation of the violence and nobody was completely innocent in my eyes. However, I feel that it would have been a normal, peaceful strike if NUM did not set the bar for violence.
With strikers carrying Panga’s (South African machete) and spears the South African Police were called in but instead of doing their jobs and keeping everyone safe and calming the situation, it lead to a massacre where 34 miners were killed in a brutal execution by police officers. The last time South Africa has seen such police brutality towards a group of protesters was in 1960 in Apartheid days. The film is about each of those events leading up to the massacre and the events on the day, 16 August 2012, when police allegedly boxed the miners in and then opened fire on them, as they were trying to make their way home. Police however claim that the miners started attacking them first but there is no evidence that this happened (my understanding of the commission and film).
But let me not spoil “Miners Shot Down” too much…
The documentary is an eye-opener with emotional footage from not only the massacre on 16 August but also on the other days leading up to the Marikana Massacre. With no special effects or beating around the bush, the situation suddenly becomes very real. This is why it’s very hard to walk away from the film without shedding a tear. The doccie makes you realize how disgusting some humans are as we execute other humans who are no different from ourselves.
All I hope is that I do not ever treat someone with disrespect and hurt them – whether it’s physically or emotionally because they’re both just as bad – because of money. Like the Beatles said, “I don’t care too much for money, money can’t buy me, love.”
Photo’s from the screening at Rhodes University with panel members, director Rehad Desai, a Lonmin mineworker, Sobopho Sibonile, and Jim Nichol, the lawyer representing the families at the Farlam Commission. They were also joined by Camalita Naicker, a Rhodes Masters student and Ayanda Kota from UPM.
*I’ve drawn many conclusions from this film and obviously display a very subjective view here on the matter. This is an opinion blog and not a journalistic piece. Please watch the film, “Miners Shot Down” by Rehad Desai to decide for yourself what you feel about the events of August 2012. You can find out more on http://www.minersshotdown.co.za/
Ridiculously Insane 