*Mathunjwa's Apology *
Let me preface this article by declaring that I have no intention to discredit, or tarnish an image, of any individual; my intention is merely is to deal with particular tendencies in the events at Marikana that are now slowly but surely being exposed. These tendencies, in the main but also amongst other things, include populism, demagogy and opportunism. They manifest themselves in many forms but interestingly they are also easily exposed. Let us take but one example. As reported in the Sunday Times of December 2, 2012, Joseph Mathunjwa, the President of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), apologised before the Farlam Commission for lying to the country and the world that NUM leaders had fired several shots and killed a worker when a march was heading to the NUM offices on the 10thAugust 2012. This lie, now exposed, served at the time and since to suggest that it was the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) that instigated the violence, and that subsequent violence and killings were, and are, the revenge by fellow workers of those who were shot at and killed. Mathunjwa led a campaign of fiction that the NUM had turned against its members. That and the violence and disruption it has caused must rest on his conscience. That this lie was taken up, promoted and popularised by the liberal media in the country is an indictment of the journalistic standards of that media. It portrayed the NUM as a useless and irrelevant union whose leadership focuses on politics whilst workers are suffering. That this notion was echoed by some elements within the ranks of the labour movement indicates both the reach of the media and the weaknesses of those who are so easily swayed by it. The question now is, how does one characterise this lie? Clearly it is dishonesty of the highest order. But we need also to recognise that this lie has tragically contributed to the loss of and risk to the lives of desperate workers – yes, and police members – in Marikana. But at the same time we should refuse to be surprised at this dishonesty. We must remember that Mathunjwa was expelled in the NUM in 1999 in the main for his dishonesty, corruption and opportunism. Why, we must ask, did the media not take this known fact into account? Had it done so, the media could have exposed the lie and the tragedy it fuelled may have been prevented. This is but one of many lies the Farlam Commission is bound to uncover. When the full facts are laid bare, and the hidden agendas of many role players has been exposed to the light of day, I believe the media will have to conduct a serious appraisal of its role in lending credence to elements it should, as a responsible corporate citizen, have exposed as destructive of good order. *Benson Ngqentsu is the SACP Brian Bunting District Secretary (Cape Metro) and a NUM organiser based in the Western Cape. He writes in his personal capacity.* -- 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] .
