This August will be the sixth anniversary of South Africa’s Marikana massacre.
On 16th August 2012, 34 striking miners were killed by South African police at London-listed mining company Lonmin’s platinum mine.
To show solidarity and to mark the day, Pan-Afrikan Society Community Forum and Decolonising Environmentalism and London Mining Network are co-organising a number of events as part of Marikana Solidarity Collective.
Watch the video below (by Zoe Broughton) filmed on March 15th, when Lonmin held their 2018 annual general meeting, for more on the Marikana massacre and the struggle for justice by the Marikana community.
7pm, Thursday 9th August – South African Women’s Day
South African women’s struggles – in film
336 Brixton Rd, London SW9 7AA.
12-2pm, Monday 13th August
Protest outside London finance houses that profit from violence
Meet outside St Paul’s Tube Station (look for banners)
4-6pm, Thursday 16th August
COMMEMORATING THE 6th ANNIVERSARY OF THE MARIKANA MASSACRE
South Africa House, Trafalgar Square
Bring yellow flowers
MARIKANA: AMANDLA, AWETHU! POWER TO THE PEOPLE
After six years of avoiding its responsibility for the Marikana Massacre, London-based mining corporation Lonmin has decided to cut and run from its platinum mining operation in South Africa by preparing to sell to Sibanye-Stillwater. Having made vast profits from extraction and exploitation since its founding under imperialist and white supremacist Cecil Rhodes, Lonmin has pledged a ‘covenant’ to repay the banks that financed their violence against people and nature. We support the demands of women’s organisation Sikhala Sonke and victims’ representatives that Lonmin must fulfil a social covenant with the community instead.
- Apologise to the South African nation and to the victims of the Massacre (families of the deceased, injured and arrested).
- Pay reparations to the affected parties, including all dependents of the deceased mineworkers and the injured and arrested workers who survived the Massacre. This must also cover all psychological damage and/or emotional trauma for those who witnessed the arrests, injuries and deaths that took place during the massacre.
- Join calls to release the miners in prison as a result of the massacre and toprosecute the police officers and intellectual authors of the Massacre.
- Consult with all affected parties regarding the proposed commemorative monument.
- Take responsibility for the environmental destruction at Marikana and ensure that people in the communities around the mine have sufficient water, proper sanitation and electricity.
- Comply with the obligations of its Social and Labour Plan, the development of 2,638 (rental and ownership) accommodation units and 6,000 apartments that are genuinely affordable for mineworkers and the community, within the stipulated time-frames.
- Add its voice to those calling to review the Farlam Commission and finance the legal process.
- Stop using the excuse that it is now insolvent: it has made huge profits over the years. It must tell us what it has done with the money appropriated in 2011-12.If Lonmin is sold to Sibanye-Stillwater, a company under which 21 miners have lost their lives in fatal accidents this year, the new owner must:
- Take responsibility for the massacre and reparations, for providing housing and livelihoods and the other promises made.
- Guarantee livelihoods for the workers.
- Set aside money in the purchase price to assist with financing sustainable development projects, with independent problem-solving mechanisms and counselling.
A social covenant with specific time-framesmust be made between the company and the entire mining community, not just with the investors.
