South African police fired on and killed miners who were engaged in a wildcat strike at Lonmin’s Marikana platinum mine.
Leaders of the radical Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), which was representing most of the strikers, accused police of a massacre.
“There was no need whatsoever for these people to be killed like that,” General Secretary Jeffrey Mphahlele told Reuters.
Some commentators likened the scenes to apartheid-era footage of ranks of police opening fire on crowds of protesters in black townships.
“I cannot think of a confrontation between protesters and police since 1994 that has taken place along these lines,” said Nic Borain, an independent political analyst.
I’ve not really followed this news story but I read a small bit about it the other day. The article said there had been clashes between unions that week that had left some miners and police dead. I’m all for the workers and strikers, etc. but it’s important to be factual.
I don’t know exactly what happened with the incident above but it may not have been a simple case of the police committing atrocities against striking laborers.
Scott,
I have been following this story. It is true, there has been an ongoing conflict both among the miners (with 2 different unions struggle to represent them) and between the miners and the police (leading to deaths on both sides). But, in this case, the facts are clear: the police opened fire and killed, according to the latest accounts, 34 miners.