Well said!!! Pointing fingers won't bring back lost lives but we need to work for everlasting solution to this matter.
------------------------------ On Fri, Aug 17, 2012 11:18 AM SAST Palesa Motshoene wrote: > *Workers of Lonmin my heart bleeds* > >** ** > >I watched the bodies drop, I was hoping at some point it would stop. The >news reader had cautioned that the graphic footage might be ghastly for >sensitive viewers. Men dropped like bricks on the soil of Lonmin grounds. I >teared up and gasped. It was as if I was watching a documentary of a >massacre from the 80’s. Innocent men lost their lives heedlessly at the >hands of merciless law enforcers; a sight South Africans have become quite >familiar with in the past years. The case of deaths in Lonmin leaves much >to be desired. I had to again watch a woman frantically asking a news >reporter on sight where her husband might be. Hopeless and evidently >frightened, she was hoping the newsreader would give her answers.**** > >** ** > >As Leaders of the unions, spokespersons of political organisations and >analysts attempt to justify what happened and point fingers, forty five men >according to reports lost their lives gratuitously. They have been >portrayed by others as irresponsible, some blame the alternative union from >NUM and the classic excuse has been that a police officer was shot at; >therefore police officers were within their right or mandate to shoot >back. Now from the little understanding that I have of the situation, the >men decided to organise a sit in on a mountain, as a sign of being resolute >that they will not budge until their demands are met. The Leader of the >union addressed the crowd urging that there shouldn’t be any bloodshed and >requested the police to give them time. It is as if, he sensed that this >would happen.**** > >** ** > >Now from the visuals, it seems the workers were frightened at the sight of >police officers surrounding them, as they were getting ready to disperse >the crowd (workers) on the hill and possibly hence the tragic tumult. **** > >** ** > >However no amount of justification will bring back the lives of those brave >men. The crux of the matter is that these were not criminals, they stated >very clear why they were there and police officers assumingly, are properly >trained to deal with protests. We have seen violent protests all over the >country these days and there is yet to be a report about deaths. We have >seen violent union protests and again reports of deaths have never been >witnessed. It’s preposterous to attempt to compare a life of a policeman >and worker. The fact of the matter is that no life should have been lost. >This was not a game of “bullet –for-bullet” and it’s iniquitous to assume >that the workers ‘intentions were essentially to attack policemen; perhaps >they felt they needed to carry weapons for protection as there was no >security visible and it was not a protected strike.**** > >** ** > >One is even tempted to believe that just maybe these men were victims >because they were not members of a recognised union, stripping them of >their right to organise themselves as they deem fit. The situation could >have been handled better and bloodshed avoided. It’s disappointing to see >leaders avoid taking responsibility and merely point fingers as to who >might have been the instigator. The noble thing to do in this horrific hour >is to honour these men by going to their families. We should ask ourselves >what happens to the 45 families that have lost breadwinners, fathers, >husbands, brothers, sons, pillars. What happens to the children robbed of a >decent future; mothers that have now become single parents overnight. >Lonmin and the unions must take account and ensure that all these >families are compensated and a decent burial is given. A worker’s life >unfortunately still remains subhuman as we have witnessed. **** > >** ** > >These men were on a hill for hours, probably starving, tired, scared and >anxious. However in their spirit of determination they braced the dangers >ahead of them and stood resolute on what they believed in; ill-informed or >not. Leaders must account for these deaths. Lonmin will in the next week >or two probably forget about this as if it never happened, but the families >will forever despair, their lives distraught and poverty knocking to remind >them of their stark reality. A life of a worker is incalculable; he breaks >the rock which sustains this economy, he feeds the children of elite as his >wait for crumbs back at home in the mountains of Lesotho, Natal, Eastern >Cape. His strength is taken by mine shafts yet his spirit carries him to >the next day. Salute to all of you, fathers, men of honour and workers who >carry this economy. All they ever wanted was a decent wage to put food on >their family’s table and change their material conditions. That was their >only crime.**** > >** ** > >I dedicate these few lines to all of you who lost your lives so tragically** >** > >** ** > >*“Sisebenzel’ emgodini kanzima, sisebenzel’ imali’ncane uzoyenzani* > >*Sisebenzelémgodini kanzima, sisebenzeímali encane uzoyenzani* > >*Kulikhuni, kunzima, sisebenzelímali encane uzoyenzani”* > >** ** > >May you find peace in the heavens, and hopefully take comfort that you no >longer serve the greedy white man on your own land**** > >** ** > >Amandla! **** > >** ** > >*Gugu Ndima* > >*Descendant of the working class and the poor * > >** ** > >** ** > >** ** >------------------------------ > * >Note:* >This message is for the named person's use only. It may contain >confidential, proprietary or legally privileged information. No >confidentiality or privilege is waived or lost by any mistransmission. If >you receive this message in error, please immediately delete it and all >copies of it from your system, destroy any hard copies of it and notify the >sender. You must not, directly or indirectly, use, disclose, distribute, >print, or copy any part of this message if you are not the intended >recipient. *Gauteng Provincial Legislature *and any of its subsidiaries >each reserve the right to monitor all e-mail communications through its >networks. >Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, >except where the message states otherwise and the sender is authorized to >state them to be the views of any such entity. > >*Thank You. >* >------------------------------ > ------------------------------ > >Scanned by *MailMarshal* - M86 Security's comprehensive email content >security solution. Download a free evaluation of MailMarshal at >www.m86security.com > >** >------------------------------ > > > >-- >Gugu Ndima >+27 76 783 1516 > > > >-- >Palesa > >-- >You are subscribed. This footer can help you. >Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this >message. >You can visit the group WEB SITE at >http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, >pages, files and membership. >To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . >You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put >anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this >address (repeat): [email protected] . -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] .
