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News & Views by Terry Bell
Browsing All posts tagged under »Lonmin«
Exposing the race/class fault lines in SA society
October 5, 2012
The racial and class fault lines in South African society, papered over by rainbow nation platitudes and disguised for global consumption by the myth of a negotiated miracle, have been brutally exposed. When, as it has now emerged, special para-military units of the police opened fire on miners at Lonmin’s Marikana mine on August 16, the resultant bloodshed washed away the last traces of hypocritical camouflage; it also acted as a catalyst creating conditions in which dangerous and opportunistic political viruses thrive.
Union key to a truly democratic future
September 2, 2012
To see the tragedy at Lonmin in isolation from the other, almost daily, upheavals around the country would be a mistake; they all stem from similar causes. All unions need to join this chorus because the desperate poverty among many miners and their families is the same desperate poverty that afflicts millions, mainly in the rural areas and squatter camps of South Africa. Democratic unionism may hold one of the keys to solving these problems.
Sorting fact from fiction at Marikana
August 23, 2012
Inflammatory propaganda, opportunistic interventions and a narrow, finger pointing focus engaged in by everyone from opposition politicians and government ministers to mine management and some campaigning groups, has added to the tension following the bloodshed at Lonmin's Marikana mine. It is high time to sort out some facts from often self-serving propaganda.
A background to Marikana
August 23, 2012
The deaths at Lonmin amount to the bloodiest tragedy of the post-apartheid era. As a result, the blame game is in full swing and is likely to continue in the weeks ahead. But all the finger pointing, accusations and counter accusations only highlight the plethora of questions that desperately need to be thoroughly interrogated.
Lonmin: the need for a comprehensive, transparent inquiry
August 22, 2012
It will be a gross error if the proposed commission of inquiry into last week’s tragic events at Lonmin’s Marikana mine focusses solely on the violent incidents at the mine. It would also be a great disservice to the memories of the dead and the injured, as well as to miners and their families everywhere — let alone the country at large.
No angels in bloody SA mine clashes
August 15, 2012
The ongoing tension and violence at South Africa's Lonmin platinum mine is a much more complex and messy business than a simple turf war between unions in the Rustenburg region of the country. At this stage, all that seems clear is that there are no angels in this; no clear good guys and bad guys.
Terry Bell Writes 
Who is doing what — and whom — at Amplats?
May 13, 2013
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Did the management of Anglo Platinum (Amplats) and the government do a deal behind closed doors regarding retrenchments and shaft closures? Amid a swirl of rumour and innuendo and in an atmosphere of considerable distrust, this is an allegation heard across the union divide.