ANC is a government for white monopoly capital, not for the people - AMCU's Joseph Mathunjwa
The leader of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) has hit out at the ANC at the 7th commemoration of the Marikana massacre, saying that the government is for white monopoly capital (WMC) - not for the people of South Africa.
"This day in 2012 exposed the ANC government, that it is not a government for the people but for the WMC.
"The blood of our brothers flowed on this mountain. The blood was a true reflection that it is not yet uhuru," Joseph Mathunjwa told a crowd at the mine in Rustenburg in the North West on Friday.
"It pains me to talk about the ANC. I respect that organisation but those who are leading today, there is nothing that we can show," Mathunjwa said to a loud applause.
The union leader claimed that the "true" words coming out of his mouth would lead to him becoming a target.
"As I speak, they will try and prove a point by arresting me. Their handlers will tell them to find something, whether it's a traffic fine, to arrest me and they will call the media.
"This government is destroying communities. We get sold the aroma of democracy while they eat/enjoy the real democracy," he explained.
As he recalled that "difficult" day, he explained why he believes the ANC "hates him".
"The reason this government of the ANC hates me and hates AMCU, it is because they are alliance partners of Confederation of South Africa Trade Unions (Cosatu) and National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). They allow the WMC to rob you, kill you and leave you to die. My sin was to bandage you, pick you up and walk with you.
"Mathunjwa came to you while you were wounded, gave you a better place to recover from your wounds, inflicted by WMC," he said to more loud applause.
Widows of the miners who died in the massacre attended the event on Friday thanked Mathunjwa after they were gifted homes. They said they continued to receive the R12 500 their "husbands died for" from the mining union trust.
Thirty-four people were killed by police, 78 were wounded and 250 were arrested on August 16, 2012.
Ten people, including two policemen and two Lonmin security guards, were killed the previous week, following a strike by mineworkers who were seeking a R12 500 wage, News24 reported.
As a result, then president Jacob Zuma appointed a commission of inquiry to investigate matters of public, national and international concern arising out of the incidents at the Lonmin Mine in Marikana on August 26, 2012.
A final, 600-page report on the commission's work was handed to Zuma at the end of March, 2015. It was made public in June that year.
The report's recommendations included that an inquiry be held on the fitness of [then] national police commissioner Riah Phiyega and North West police commissioner Lieutenant General Zukiswa Mbombo to hold office, and that the killings and assaults be referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions for further investigation, News24 reported.
To this day, there have been no prosecutions of senior officials or roleplayers involved in the shooting.
