Johannesburg - The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) has called for an end to the commercialisation of the Marikana massacre.
At the union’s commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the massacre, Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa said commercialising the Marikana massacre and using the widows of the striking Lonmin mineworkers killed on August 16, 2012 for monetary gain should stop.
“Many people are rich because of the Marikana massacre. Many people are writing books and making all sorts of things but no one has contributed anything tangible to these families because Marikana has been commercialised,” he complained.
Mathunjwa likened the treatment meted to the widows to being turned into a circus.
“They are driven to places to be shown to other people as if they are part of the Boswell (Wilkie) circus. You must say no to that, claim your dignity back,” he said.
According to Mathunjwa, the widows were always driven around, taken up and down to be shown to people and taking pictures.
“Are you the first people to lose loved ones?” he asked.
Mathunjwa continued: “What have they done for you? Do these people know where you sleep? If it was not Amcu, you would not have shelter. Amcu has brought dignity to you; don’t allow your grief to benefit other people. They are using you, your grief, your pain for their own selfish, narrow interests because the life of a black man in Africa is cheap.”
Amcu also intensified calls for August 16 to be declared a public holiday.
“We are saying to you Comrade Mambush (Mgcineni Noki, the slain leader of the mineworkers in 2012) and the Marikana 34 or the Marikana 44, we will fight to make sure August 16 is a public holiday, Workers’ Day. We will fight for this day, we will never rest, we will picket, we will march, we will strike,” Mathunjwa promised.
He said Amcu recognised May 1, which is marked as International Workers’ Day worldwide, but August 16 should be Workers’ Day in South Africa.
Meanwhile, Mathunjwa also announced that Amcu’s demand to Sibanye-Stillwater, which bought Lonmin, will be a basic salary of R20 000 a month.
“Asidlali (We are not playing games). We have long passed R12 500. Comrade Mambush and comrades of the Marikana 34, we have passed R12 500,” he said.
The striking mineworkers were demanding R12 500 from Lonmin.
“If he (Sibanye-Stillwater chief executive Neal Froneman) can pay himself a salary of R300 million a year, surely he can pay you a basic salary of R20 000 per month,” Mathunjwa said.
Sibanye-Stillwater’s 2021 annual report shows that Froneman was paid just over R300m including basic salary of R12.42m, a R7.8 million bonus and R246m in long-term share incentives.