September 14th - Over 27,000 miners are striking in South Africa over low wages, with over 34 killed by police. The prolonged strike has highlighted the failure of the government to lift South Africans out of poverty and address job and housing shortages. South Africa is said to posess 80% of the world's known supply of platinum.
"The bitter, bloody Lonmin strike has taken the lives of 45 people and has spread to two other mines. Miners are calling on co-workers to shut down mines across the country, raising fears for the future of South Africa’s biggest industry.
Of the 45 people killed, 34 strikers were shot dead by police in a shocking display of state violence that has traumatized the nation of 48 million. Police said Thursday they had identified the latest body found this week as that of a shop steward of the National Union of Mineworkers, the industry’s largest which is allied with the governing African National Congress.
“You have more rights because you’re a majority; you have less rights because you’re a minority. That’s how democracy works,” Zuma said, provoking a huge outcry from opposition legislators that moved to dominate talk radio shows on Friday.
Callers questioned the president’s understanding of democracy.
Lonmin reported only 1 percent of its 28,000 workers reported for duty Thursday. Gold Fields International said some 85 per cent of the 12,500 workers at its KDC West mine near Carletonville are not working. Anglo American Platinum claims its miners are not striking, but strikers told The Associated Press that they work for Amplats and are demanding even more than 12,500 rand minimum
The prolonged and spreading strike and police killings have thrown a spotlight on government and union failures to meet promises to lift South Africans out of poverty and address massive shortages of jobs and housing."
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1256901--striking-south-africa-miners-reject-lonmin-wage-offer
