Probe That S’Africa’s Miners’ Massacre

Last Thursday, the remains of 44 South African miners who
died during a labour protest were laid to rest. They were working for the
north-western Marikana Platinum Mine, owned by London-listed company, Lonmin.

Thirty four of the dead were miners gruesomely killed after
police opened fire during a strike over wages a week earlier. Ten other people,
including two police officers, had died since the beginning of the strike on
August 10, 2012.

The miners were striking over demands for higher monthly
wage of 12,500 rand ($1,500, or 1,200 euros), as against the 4,000 Rand they
were receiving. But Lonmin claimed that if bonuses and other perks were
included, the rock drillers earn around 11,000 rand, with a nine per cent
increase set for October.

About 3,000 rock drill operators spearheaded the strike at
Lonmin, which employs a total of 28,000 people. However, on August 16, an
ultimatum issued by the local police for the protestors to disband was ignored,
and the situation escalated to the point where officers opened fire, claiming
that they acted in self-defence.

Coming 18 years after the African National Congress (ANC)
started ruling South Africa, this massacre relives some of the worst memories
of the apartheid era. Even worse was the order for the miners to return to work
only days after their colleagues were killed in cold blood.

The Tide believes that the police shooting of 34 black
strikers at the Marikana Platinum Mine –fuels perceptions that the ANC’s
leadership may be paying more attention to factional infighting than the
growing economic divisions and the discontent of the ordinary South African.

Although South African President, Jacob Zuma, met with
miners last Wednesday, and inaugurated a judicial commission of inquiry into
the police shooting, the police are also investigating the killings, while the
independent police watchdog is looking into the conduct of the officers who
opened fire at the crowd that was armed mainly with spears, clubs and machetes.

While we join millions of peace loving people to condemn the
massacre, we commiserate with the government and people of South Africa,
especially the families of the miners who were only asking for better pay.

Sadly, this shooting has placed a lot of odium on the police
in South Africa, but even worst, is the ghost of Apartheid that it attempted to
resurrect. That the police that is supposed to be the friend of the ordinary
man would become the butcher of the people they are paid to secure.

We are not unmindful of some challenging times when policing
can be dangerous. Even so, the police in more civilised climes would have used
tear gas or water canon or robber bullets to disperse the protesting miners.
Worse still, they could have shot at their legs and not to kill.

That is why we think the probe ordered by President Jacob
Zuma must be pursued to the letter. All and anyone that failed to do the right
or ordered the killing of these miners must be brought to book, if for nothing
else, to deter future occurrence and to stop disgracing the black race in our
dealing with the weaker members of our society.

Moreover, the ANC government must grapple with the long-term
challenge to revive and diversify South Africa’s economy beset with inequality
and unemployment. The violence at Marikana follows riots in townships over poor
public services that ought to have called the government to action before the
incident.

We hope that the authorities in South Africa will use the
opportunity to reform its police and equip them to deal with civil protests and
seemingly dangerous upheavals without causing avoidable deaths and shame to
Africa. The best police in the world is not accredited with its ruthlessness
and senseless use of force.

The issue is now more than the appropriate pricing of labour
at the mines in South Africa, which of course should be better. But the
heartless killing of helpless citizens by the ones paid to protect them must be
condemned and properly investigated and the culprits punished, otherwise the
need for arming the police would become needless.