Marikana: A Definition Of The Democratic Truth.

On the 16^th of August 2012 South Africa saw one of the most tragic protests which lead to the death of some 44 people. What occurred in Marikana wasn’t an accident but a fatal tragedy that knocked South Africa and shook the world.

Last week the disputed protests for salary increases from the Miners Union was shrugged off by the state and considered an ordinary demonstration as per usual. The Lonmin mine was no exception to the state and the government’s rightful intolerance of the matter lead to civil dispute in the North West province.

Miners from the Lonmin Platinum Mine decided that a union demonstration would resolve the issue regarding salary increases but it would later backfire as a capitalistic attempt to democratically force Labourites back to work. The miners unlawfully demonstrated with sticks and machetes attempting to frighten off any authoritative figure that wished to intervene and it was at this point that death would meet their fate.

Armed police officers were sent into Marikana to disperse unrest by striking miners, many were kept under control for a durable capacity protecting those uninvolved. As the unrest became unbearable, teargas was hosed to disperse angry chanting strikers, despite this method being used; it saw the uncivil actions of strikers rebelling against the police and as a result struck back with live ammunition.

According to South African law, the constitution states that any union may perform peaceful demonstrations but it does not indicate that demonstrations may exercise protests with weapons of any kind. When live ammunition was fired at armed officers, it gave clear indication that action of armed defence be carried out immediately and indeed, accordingly, the police released an army of gunfire against miners killing 36 people.



Courtesy of the London Evening Post



Prior to the tragedy, two police officers and three miners were killed on 13^th of August in dispute over pay and it has been speculated that officers sought revenge in retaliation to their force members being brutalised in this way when as a form of civil duty to the community they were only doing their job.

The devastating result of the miners strike saw the intervention of South African Trade Unions protesting against workers pay, siding with the Miners Union and blaming the state and authorities for the “mass killings” of 44 strikers and leaving 78 wounded. The consequences put much spotlight on South Africa. Media attention from all over the world saw that the government of South Africa had lost control. State broadcasters and independent networks aired the tragic shooting on the evening news leaving the nation in absolute shock.

The South African President declared a week of mourning for the entire country. Up and down the country, flags flew at half-mast. The devastation inflicted has caused an inquiry to be opened due to international pressure. It has also seen the price increase of platinum across the world rise rapidly.

An inquiry as to whether or not the police force were unlawful in their actions or whether they were carrying out orders on civil grounds to break dispute at its best. For many, irrespective of one’s ideologies, there will always be a dispute somewhere in regard to how systems are run in the state of South Africa.

Trade Unions are disgraced by the middle-class for their violent methods to negotiate positively. The South African Police Service is considered weak for not protecting citizens and not doing their jobs properly. The government is considered stable but remain scrutinised for not delivering basic services as well as not practicing the constitution accordingly.

Indeed it was righteous that the police carry out this method of action as a defence mechanism to protect citizens from such inconsiderable danger. It was indeed regrettable that families have lost loved ones but it has taught unions a vulnerable lesson which instead of crediting a policy for which only a few will gain will teach unions not to exercise power they do not have. It also teachers unions that irrespective of their relations in a work force that only a democratically elected body can decide who governs who and what is necessary for a democratic state. The South African Trade Unions are slowly acknowledging that strikers across the country are getting tired of striking unnecessarily resulting in unrelated forces putting them out of work indefinitely or even penalties such as the Lonmin strike.

The Marikana strike wasn’t a massacre in any form whatsoever, it was merely a union fighting for a wage increase, the police involved were not out to kill, they were carrying out required action according to the law which protects citizens as a method of defence, the police in any case would’ve been blamed if mass killings by unions had lost control and spread out across the province and hence, the police were doing their job as was necessary and should be applauded. Unions are to acknowledge that while they are persecuting jobs they cannot fight for them either. The Lonmin mine has threatened that if workers do not return to work shortly that they will be fired indefinitely.

Chad C Rensburg

A Return To A World Of My Own - Hello Again!

It's been quite some time since my last post, and this is because I've been extremely busy with my life. It's 2012 and since January of this year there has been a change in lifestyle. So far I've managed to retrieve a new sense of compassion on a completely different level following the same path but with a different approach. I've never been one to make concessions and indeed I won't, there's this strange taking for which I feel that there's a nauseating stench of appeasement in the air, something of which I detest with a passion and therefore I won't change the approach but I'm happy to challenge it if I have to.

I've sadly missed months of blogging and so I'm going to have to update you on what has happened recently. Well' to start off, I visited Cape Town in January and I have to admit that I had a peaceful stay at Dolphin Beach. In February I started college which happened so suddenly after believing that my gap year was still ongoing, nevertheless, it's self duty thus I am fully prepared for it. In March I became truly overwhelmed by the amount of work given both at college and within the establishment. I managed to keep up to date on those civil matters. During that month I was still busy on Chapters 5 and 6 of my novella which by the way is coming on nicely now, I'm quite impressed myself. In April I spent a few weekends in Johannesburg for inspiration regarding the book, I also managed to put in a bit of art work which I have been missing out on, sadly it's just drawings and shadings. I still miss painting but again, I need to find time in doing anything of that sort. In May I was left devastated because whilst my family were paying tribute to my late uncle who passed away last year my Aunt in Durban suddenly passed away the following day, that day being Mother's Day and therefore it became a fortnight of sadness and pain for many. In June I was preparing for one of my exams after which I two week holiday was in order, though, quite boring as it was I am pleased to say that I need that break to recover as much as possible.

Now it is July and I am happy to inform you that in the weeks ahead I will be back at college, finishing off my novella and I will be planning ahead for my 22nd Birthday in October, I am also planning a trip abroad for December but I cannot reveal where I am going just yet, what is certain is that it's somewhere in the Western World. I am also expecting some good news within the next few weeks regarding my brother who I haven't seen in over two years now, I don't express my feelings let alone my emotions so I rarely speak about my family to anyone, but I'm pleased to say that I have a family even though many assume that I'm a complete loner in this world.






A friend of mine reminded me recently of a mock-up blog discovered by someone else at college where I was depicted as a sovereign of some sort, I was pleased to endorse the creativity of it, I don't remember where the blog is now, I gather it's on the internet somewhere, I'll have to search it and then I'll post it. After getting a glimpse of that blog, it motivated me to post EMPIRE which is a series of power, loyalty and defeat. It was created in 2007 during the horrendous case of the Bernard Files which I released to the Dutch public in November before I returned to South Africa.

EMPIRE was indeed a diary of thoughts and fiction known to me and indeed an invited few of whom the enemy Bernard was depicted as a cruel and duplicitous traitor against our secret empire. EMPIRE didn't really end even after my graduation, in fact, today it is still discussed between myself and those who remembered the work we put into it.

Carolina who is one of the few in our secret society is an upcoming journalist in Portugal doing television, she and I update each other all the time. This was our first and last picture taken on our day of graduation from high school in the Netherlands, it was both our dreams to become journalists and although we both are doing journalism in our countries we both intend to succeed and meet again some day, hopefully soon that is. I still miss her even though I don't show it, I just realised, despite the lighting in the picture that my hair used to be red.

I hope to be blogging again shortly.

Chad C Rensburg

Port Elizabeth, EC, Republic of South Africa