North West -
The ANC Youth League has called for an investigation into Lonmin’s profits to determine whether the mine can afford salaries demanded by striking mineworkers in Marikana, North West.
“It is our view that these profits can easily pay the salaries demanded by the workers,” the league’s acting president, Ronald Lamola, said on Monday.
The league also called for the independent judiciary commission, appointed by President Jacob Zuma to probe the Marikana killings, to come up with proposals to change the living conditions of mineworkers.
“The commission must not only point at wrongs committed, but must also bring recommendations that will change the living conditions of the miners and their salaries,” Lamola said.
He further highlighted the harsh working conditions and job stagnation within the sector.
“Miners work underground for many years in one job… Does this mean all these miners are dunderheads and no CEO could be produced from them?
“A white child enters the mine as a general worker and becomes a section supervisor in a week and a CEO in 10 years,” Lamola claimed.
The league has repeated its call for nationalisation, saying things would be handled differently if the mines were in the “hands of the people and administered by the government.
“In that way it will be easy for the government to make coercion in the interests of people,” Lamola said, adding that profit maximisation and greed had led to the deaths at Marikana.
The league has also continued to accuse the government of a lack of leadership.
It called for Minister of Police Nathi Mthethwa to account for the use of live ammunition during the killings, which sent shock waves around the world.
Meanwhile, Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) spokesman Moses Dlamini on Monday confirmed that his organisation was investigating more than 130 cases of alleged torture and assault of those arrested in the incident.
A source close to the investigation told The Star that some of those injured had been “arrested for questioning” after their discharge from hospital.
The source said that in a desperate attempt to build their case and find those who had killed two colleagues a few days before the killing of 34 mineworkers, the police had allegedly assaulted and tortured suspects.
The Ipid said it was expecting its investigation into 34 murder cases, opened against the police, to “take a little longer” while it was investigating the alleged assault and torture.
Dlamini said a press briefing at which they had expected to share progress on investigations into the deaths and alleged torture was “cancelled until further notice” on Monday, after they realised they still had more work to do. - The Star