Inselelo November 2012 - Diakonia Council of Churches

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INSELELO NOVEMBER 2012 - PG 4Marikana: the lens to view the SA economyThe tragic incidents at the Lonmin Platinum Mine inMarikana in August which left 44 people dead,more than 70 injured and approximately 250 behindbars shook the nation to the core and shocked the world.How could such a massacre, reminiscent of apartheid erarepression, happen nearly two decades into democracy?To answer this and many more questions and determinewhat we can learn from these events, Diakonia Council ofChurches organised a briefing on 9 October.In his presentation, Bench Marks Foundation leadresearcher David van Wyk said what happened in Marikanacould have happened and can still happen anywhere in theSouth African economy, adding that Marikana was not an eventbut a process.Molebatsi says miners literally live in concentration camps.Van Wyk says Marikana was not an event but a process.He said, “Marikana was a culmination of a series ofprotests that swept through the district, beginning with theunprotected industrial action at the Karee in May 2011, thecommunity uprising of August of the same year, continuouscommunity battles with mines such as Marikana, Ikemeleng,Ledig, Chaneng and the job protests by Nkanengcommunity’s unhappiness about the unemployment of localsby the mine.”Co-presenting with him, Chris Molebatsi a member of thecommunity group that monitors the Corporate SocialInvestment of Lonmin Mine and the impact of miningactivities on the community, blamed the socio-economicconditions of the country's mineworkers and miningcommunities for the tragedy. The Marikana massacre, hesaid, was a reminder of the abject poverty and inhumaneliving conditions faced by mining communities.He said, “There is massive youth unemployment inMarikana. The mine still relies on migrant labour. Most minerslive in shacks which are like concentration camps. Because ofovercrowding, sewer pipes are often blocked with raw sewageflowing freely on the streets. Because of such living conditions,there are high levels of illiteracy and social ills such as teenagepregnancies, HIV and AIDS and crime.”Molebatsi also spoke about the abuse of women minersthat is rampant at the mines. “Mining companies just want tomeet their quota of the number of women miners but do not doanything about their safety. We always receive reports ofwomen who are raped or sexually abused by their malecounterparts,” he said.Van Wyk noted that while mining remains the bedrock ofSouth Africa's economy, there is a need for the industry toadhere to international standards by building long termrelations with mining communities and contribute tomeaningful material change in the lives of communities.He also expressed concern at the inequality between theminers' wages and the outrageous salaries and bonus of themine management.“The 2011 wage gap between the CEO and the averageworker in the industry was 390 to 1. The average worker had towork for 325 years to earn the value of the CEO's 2011remuneration,” van Wyk said.
INSELELO NOVEMBER 2012 - PG 5Healers get healingUsually when one asks caregivers how they arefeeling, they talk about their patients and theirpain, instead of paying attention to their ownsuffering. What is important to them is saving otherpeople's lives.In August, a group of Ithubalethu caregivers fromKwaMashu took time off their usual work of caring for others,to take care of themselves. At the beginning of theworkshop, one woman said she did not even know whatstress is and yet she discovered later that she experiences itdaily. Domestic violence, poverty, child abuse and deathemerged as causes of that stress.In small groups the caregivers discussed theirunderstanding of stress and trauma as well as the differencebetween the two, using newspaper cuttings as their guide.They were able to identify their own experiences withpictures from newspaper cuttings.They spent time sharing their stories which led them tobetter understand one another's experiences. Manyremarked that it felt great to be listened to.At the end of the workshop, participants felt healed and atease that they were not alone in their situations. Theproject's coordinator, Zanele Mkhize said, “This workshophelped us to connect with each other and keptcommunication going as colleagues.”nokufundana kabusha. Ithuba lokwakha umphakathiomusha onesithunzi nenhlonipho nowazisanayo,” kushouMbhishobhi.Uphinde wanxusa izinhlangano zabakholwayo ukubazisukume ziziqhelelanise nezenzo zenkohlakalo.Ukungenzeki kwalokhu kuzoholela ekubhuntshiseniimizamo yokuthula, nasekuqedeni ukungalinganikwamazinga empilo nobulungiswa.“Thina bezenkolo nabantu balelizwe simelweukuphumela obala ngokungalungile okwenzekayosibhekise ngqo kwiziphathimandla zezwe nohulumeniongazifezi izidingo zabantu, kodwa ozenzela umathanda.Uma sedembesela ukukhuluma ngesibindi nokuxwayisasiyobesidicilela phansi iqhaza elabanjwa ngabafa, befelainkululeko yethu,” usho kanje eqhubeka.UMbhishobi Phillip unxuse izinhlangano zabakholwayoukuba zizibandakanye ezindabeni zikazwelonke ukuvalaisikhala sezwi labantu. Uthe lokhu kungase kudaleukuqubuka kwezehlo ezifuze inhlekelele yaseMarikana.Eqhubeka uthe, “Ibanga usizi indaba yaseMarikana.N g i k h o l w a u k u t h i i p h a p h a m i s a a b a k h o l w a y oa b a s e z i n h l a n g a n w e n i u k u b a b a z i q h e l e n a n i s enokukhuluma iqiniso, ukulinganiswa kwamazinganobulungiswa. Simele sixhumane nomphakathi ngendlelaentsha nevulelekile. Akumele sizithele ngabandayonjengokukhombana amaphutha abanye.”Enkulumweni yokwamukela amakholwa enkonzweniThe healers discuss in groups while observing Thursdays in Black.Sekuyisikhathi sokupholisa nokwakhaUSobaba Rubin Phillip uMbhishobhi webandlalamaSheshi eNatali ukhuthaze abezenkoloukuba babambe iqhaza ngethuba elivezweinhlekelele emayini Lonmin Platinum, ekupholiseniamanxeba kwisizwe esilimele. Ubedlulisa umyalezowokuthula nozwelo kulabo ababesenkonzweni yezinkoloezahlukene ababehlanganele ukududuza abashonelwe.Lokhu kwenzeke e-Diakonia ngomhlaka 24 Agasti.“Sekusemahlombe abezenkolo nabantu bonke balelizweukubamba iqhaza lokwakha, ukupholisa, ukubuyisanauSiHlalo woMkhandlu wamabandla i-Diakonia, uMfundisiIan Booth, uthe akusesona isikhathi sokwenzai n k o m b a n k o m b a n e n g o k o n a k e l e k o d w angesokuzimbandakanya nabasosizini, sihlumeleliseukholo, sibemunye nabalilayo.Uphinde waxwayisa ngokuthi lenhlekeleleiseyisixwayiso, njengesihloko sethumba. Eseqedelainkulumo yakhe uthe, “Ingozi wukuthi isengaba luphawulwesimo esingaba nomthelela omubi kakhulu. Kukekwabakhona izexwayiso zokuthi kungase kuqhume gulalinamasi. Manje sesibona ukuthi impela kungasekubekhona okunye okucathamayo,” kuphetha uMfundisiBooth.
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Inselelo November 2012 - Diakonia Council of Churches

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