South African miners' strike turns violent, police open fire on machete-wielding crowd
44 replies, posted
Update: The police chief has [url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19292909]announced[/url] that 34 people were killed. Also President Zuma is to visit the mine
[url]http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/08/16/uk-safrica-lonmin-idUKBRE87F0L820120816[/url]
[quote=Reuters][B]South African police opened fire on Thursday against thousands of striking miners armed with machetes and sticks at Lonmin's Marikana platinum mine, leaving several bloodied corpses lying on the ground.[/B]
A Reuters cameraman said he saw at least seven bodies after the shooting, which occurred when police laying out barricades of barbed wire were outflanked by some of an estimated 3,000 miners massed on a rocky outcrop near the mine, 100 km (60 miles) northwest of Johannesburg.
Police officers said talks with leaders of the radical Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) had broken down, leaving no option but to disperse them by force.
"Today is unfortunately D-day," spokesman Dennis Adriao said.
Ten people, including two policemen, have died in nearly a week of fighting between rival worker factions at the mine, the latest platinum plant to be hit by fallout from an eight-month union turf war in the world's main producer of the precious metal.
On Wednesday, up to 3,000 police officers, including members of an elite, camouflage-wearing riot control unit backed by helicopters and horses, confronted the striking rock-drill operators, but there were no clashes.
Before the police advance, Joseph Mathunjwa, president of AMCU, which has been on a big recruitment push in South Africa's platinum mines, said there would be bloodshed if police moved in.
"We're going nowhere," he shouted through a loudhailer, to cheers from the crowd. "If need be, we're prepared to die here."
SHARES TUMBLE
The unrest has forced Marikana's London-headquartered owner to halt production at all its South African operations, which account for 12 percent of global platinum output.
Lonmin said it had lost the equivalent of 15,000 ounces of platinum from the six-day disruption, and was unlikely to meet its full-year production target of 750,000 ounces.
Its London-listed shares were down more than 6 percent on Thursday, bringing total losses since the violence began to more than 13 percent.
The Marikana strikers have not made their demands explicit, although much of the bad blood stems from a turf war between AMCU and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), the dominant union for the last two decades.
At least three people were killed in a similar round of fighting in January that led to a six-week closure of the world's largest platinum mine, run by Impala Platinum. That helped push the platinum price up 15 percent.
South Africa is home to 80 percent of the world's known platinum reserves, but rising power and labour costs and a sharp drop in the price of the precious metal this year have left many mines struggling to keep their heads above water.[/quote]
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-19286654[/url]
[quote=BBC News][B]Police in South Africa have opened fire during clashes with striking workers at the Marikana platinum mine, leaving seven people dead.[/B]
Police opened fire after miners carrying machetes defied an ultimatum to disarm, reports from the scene say.
The mine, owned by Lonmin, has been at the centre of a violent industrial dispute exacerbated by inter-union tensions.
Earlier this week nine people died in clashes there.
During the clashes, missiles - thought to be either petrol bombs or grenades - were thrown at police, who responded by opening fire, eyewitnesses said.
"There are bodies on the ground, I saw one with a bullet wound on the forehead," one eyewitness told the BBC.[/quote]
The strike and clashes have been going on for a while, this is just the latest development
Some images:
[IMG]http://cdn.24.co.za/files/Cms/General/d/2058/e49f482d3ba7477aa89cfda40d544dba.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://cdn.24.co.za/files/Cms/General/d/2058/61e61dcf2506410b9c301f7983f42868.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://cdn.24.co.za/files/Cms/General/d/2058/217a1bd28d8c492bb6a809543da518b2.jpg[/IMG]
well maybe if they paid the workers fairly this wouldn't happen
Also, alternate source:
[QUOTE]Rustenburg - An attempt by the police on Thursday to disperse striking workers at Marikana's troubled Lonmin mine ended in a shoot-out between the two groups.
A Sapa reporter at the scene said he counted 18 bodies lying next to the nearby Wonderkop squatter camp.
The shooting lasted about three minutes.
Police had tried to intercept a section of the strikers gathered on top of a hill.
The strikers were wielding pangas and chanting war songs.
Police fired teargas and then used a water cannon to disperse the strikers, who retaliated by firing live ammunition at the police.
The area around the hill, which the strikers had turned into their base for the past few days, was cordoned off with barbed wire.
The Star reporter Poloko Tau gave a dramatic rundown of events on Twitter.
The strikers scattered towards the squatter camp and the nearby veld.
Police spokesperson Captain Dennis Adriao told journalists at the scene police had been "tactical" in their approach and that the situation was tense.
[B]auto guns creacking and cocked like 100 at a time, scary...warzone down here, 1st shot fired
journalist running, diving and hiding amid shots, water canon spewing water at the strikers...
strikers fleeing...teargas coughs
deafening sound of low-flying choppers...several arrested and disarmed
[/B]
Marikana and #Lonmin are currently trending on the social media site.[/QUOTE]
[url]http://www.fin24.com/Companies/Mining/Mine-shoot-out-3-minutes-18-bodies-20120816[/url]
Jesus, it must have been scary as hell for the police, having thousands of men with machetes coming up towards you. I'm not surprised they acted the way they did when they're hopped up on adrenaline and being scared shitless. I'm not saying that their violence was okay, but it was understandable why they did it.
[QUOTE=viperfan7;37270476]well maybe if they paid the workers fairly this wouldn't happen[/QUOTE]
It's not as easy as you make out.
Countries economies hinge delicately on the pay resting at an average level.. If companies with the financial means started paying their workers substantially higher than average level, then inflation would ruin everything.
Yes, it's not fair, but that's how it works in every country. The numbers being one thing in one place and something else elsewhere is somewhat irrelevant. You'll still find the same distribution of wealthy/working class no matter where you go.
Holy shit man.
South Africa is is basically America during the Jim Crow law days
[QUOTE=Jmir 54;37270908]South Africa is is basically America during the Jim Crow law days[/QUOTE]
What? Apartheid has been gone for kind of a while
[editline]16th August 2012[/editline]
[url]http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/08/2012816141649568598.html[/url]
The whole thing was apparently caught on camera; proper TV camera too, not shitty mobile phone footage. It seems the crowd was charging the police
Makes me rather appreciate my own current situation and reminds me of how valid the "first world problems" concept is.
A lot of people seem to regard this as the police shooting peaceful protestors, which it really wasn't.
South African protests like these tend to get violent really quickly, its not uncommon at all for police to die in a protest like these.
That's what you get for bringing a knife to a gun fight.
[QUOTE=Grotsky;37273867]A lot of people seem to regard this as the police shooting peaceful protestors, which it really wasn't.
South African protests like these tend to get violent really quickly, its not uncommon at all for police to die in a protest like these.[/QUOTE]
I just saw the video on CNN. Funny how they didn't mention the protesters where armed or anything.
[IMG]http://i47.tinypic.com/52cqxs.jpg[/IMG]
The police Special Task Force was there, with a 20mm autocannon, for some reason. This could probably have gotten a lot nastier than it did.
[QUOTE=BusterBluth;37273967]I just saw the video on CNN. Funny how they didn't mention the protesters where armed or anything.[/QUOTE]
Because journalism
LiveLeak has the full video
[url]http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=bfb_1345136218[/url]
I hate that whenever there is some form of protest people instantly assume the police are in the wrong, regardless of whether the protesters were armed.
[QUOTE=SCopE5000;37270693]It's not as easy as you make out.
Countries economies hinge delicately on the pay resting at an average level.. If companies with the financial means started paying their workers substantially higher than average level, then inflation would ruin everything.
Yes, it's not fair, but that's how it works in every country. The numbers being one thing in one place and something else elsewhere is somewhat irrelevant. You'll still find the same distribution of wealthy/working class no matter where you go.[/QUOTE]
the resources are available for the miners to have a reasonably high living standard. the miners know this, the corporate bosses who run these crooked mines know this.
the police may have been defending themselves, but it goes far beyond police brutality. this is a case of miners needing their basic rights, and having it so bad they need to resort to violence to get it
[QUOTE=zombays;37270646]Jesus, it must have been scary as hell for the police, having thousands of men with machetes coming up towards you. I'm not surprised they acted the way they did when they're hopped up on adrenaline and being scared shitless. I'm not saying that their violence was okay, but it was understandable why they did it.[/QUOTE]
Except it was (completely) okay and justified, in a way. They were quelling a dangerous crowd using the means they had to do it.
[QUOTE=carcarcargo;37275604]I hate that whenever there is some form of protest people instantly assume the police are in the wrong, regardless of whether the protesters were armed.[/QUOTE]
You mean to tell me that all police aren't pillaging, freedom hating, little girl raping, murderous monsters?
Wow you're so misinformed quit believing big brother
sheeple
[QUOTE=FalconKrunch;37275326]LiveLeak has the full video
[url]http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=bfb_1345136218[/url][/QUOTE]
Holy shit. They're lives must really suck because they basically just committed suicide there.
[QUOTE=Grotsky;37274176][IMG]http://i47.tinypic.com/52cqxs.jpg[/IMG]
The police Special Task Force was there, with a 20mm autocannon, for some reason. This could probably have gotten a lot nastier than it did.[/QUOTE]
It always makes me giggle when facepunchers think US police forces are heavily militarized just because they have what basically amounts to a big steel plate on 4 wheels
South Africa police has some of the biggest fuck off armaments out of any police force in the world. Their special task groups have selection trials comparable to the SAS and Navy SEALs. It's not unknown to see task groups equipped with literally light machine guns because they are expecting to get into a legit firefight.
SA is fucking crazy.
[QUOTE=FalconKrunch;37275326]LiveLeak has the full video
[url]http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=bfb_1345136218[/url][/QUOTE]
Not to downplay the chaos and confusion that being in a situation like that can generate, but holy shit the way the cops where shooting looked unsafe as hell.
[QUOTE=carcarcargo;37275604]I hate that whenever there is some form of protest people instantly assume the police are in the wrong, regardless of whether the protesters were armed.[/QUOTE]
except this is south africa.
even if the police was in the wrong, it wouldn't make a difference due to the corruption.
Doesn't matter what country you're in, If you charge police with a weapon you'll get shot
[QUOTE=TheTalon;37278125]Doesn't matter what country you're in, If you charge police with a weapon you'll get shot[/QUOTE]
what about if the police officer is unarmed?
[QUOTE=HazzaHardie;37278158]what about if the police officer is unarmed?[/QUOTE]
They'll shoot you down with their powerful authoritative voices?
Not surprised the police fired on them.
[QUOTE=HazzaHardie;37278158]what about if the police officer is unarmed?[/QUOTE]
That's called a security guard, and they have a pouch of quarters in place of a gun to call the real police with instead
[QUOTE=TheTalon;37278601]That's called a security guard, and they have a pouch of quarters in place of a gun to call the real police with instead[/QUOTE]
Oh man, mall cops are the best.
No joke, this happened last weekend: I was at the shopping center with one of my friends getting some supplements, and this little 5'7 douchebag with gelled up hair shoved past us and pushed his chest out. He looked like he was all of maybe 19 years old, and had the exquisitely glamorous job of being ELITE MALL COP.
5 Minutes later, a fight broke out between some big Moari boys in the food court. We see said douchebag down one of the paths doing his hero sprint bit with radio in hand, holding his tactical belt still in his other hand like there was actually anything in it's many pouches besides gum wrappers and coins.
He rounds the corner on these two big Moaris going at it, and then stop dead center in his tracks and his face goes from hard man mode to "oh fuck I'm actually in the shit now", and then one of the Maori boys turns to him and screams in his face "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU GOING TO DO YOU CUNT?".
He stutters something about nothing and then hooks it to nearest payphone and calls the police.
Best part was we met those two guys later that night and they were the best of friends, they just get into violent disputes with each other sometimes. If that guy had actually tried to get involved physically he probably would've wound up in triage.
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