Occupy Oakland Protests South African Mine Massacre

KPFA/Ann Garrison: Labor, Occupy and Third Party activists spoke to those gathered yesterday evening at Oscar Grant Plaza, many of whom held signs decrying the South African Police violence that left more than 40 South African miners dead by gunfire, many more wounded, and/or facing criminal charges.

One Occupy Oakland activist said that African National Congress President Jacob Zuma’s promise of an investigation was useless:

Occupy Oakland activist: An investigation into this, by the African National Congress, is essentially useless ‘cause if you’ve seen the video, there’s no need to investigate. They used tear gas to put those miners in a position where they could be mowed down.

KPFA/Ann Garrison: Some have blamed the South African miners for refusing to back down on their demand, a 200% wage increase, from $500 to $1500/month. However, an analysis of the Lonmin Mining Corporation’s numbers on various stock tracking websites suggest that the corporation lost roughly $4.5 billion in shareholder value during the week following the massacre, because managers refused to agree to what would have amounted to 36 million dollars a year in wage increases. If the company agreed, it would lift 3000 miners from extreme poverty to being poor, in a country where the cost of living is similar to that of any Western industrialized nation. Hundreds of photos published online document the miners miserable living conditions, in shacks without electricity or plumbing, and raw sewage from inadequate sanitation facilities overflowing in ditches between them.

For more on the Marikana mining massacre and its aftermath, tune in to Workweek Radio on the Morning Mix from 8 to 9 am Monday morning, here on KPFA.

For Pacifica, KPFA and AfrobeatRadio, I’m Ann Garrison.

PLEASE SIGN PETITION – http://www.causes.com/causes/786395-share-worldwide/actions/1676661 :

To: Ian Farmer, the CEO of Lonmin plc: We, the international community, demand that you raise the monthly minimum pay for the workers at your platinum mine in South Africa! As the world’s third largest platinum producer, it’s shocking that you only pay your workers the equivalent of $690 a month, forcing them to live without electricity, running water, or accessible health services. We demand that you provide the workers with a fair wage ($1560) and contribute more fairly to their livelihoods.

CLICK HERE TO HEAR THE REPORT AND Read More by Ann Garrison