South Africa: This message was sent to us by the board of ‘Marikana’

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Category: Africa

Created: Tuesday, 17 December 2024 14:26

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Dear friends, we have just learnt of a crime currently being committed by the South African government against thousands of informal miners. It's hard to believe, so here are a few sources.  We will of course also organise solidarity from Marikana. Unfortunately, we hear nothing about protests against the state-organised fascist agitation and violence against the migrants.

An unbelievable crime against humanity has been taking place in Stilfontein, South Africa, for several months. 4500 miners are trapped underground and the South African government refuses, indeed forbids, to help them!
There were numerous gold mines in the area around Stilfontein - the capitalists moved on, but they left the shafts, up to 2000 metres deep, open. This is where the Zama Zamas (‘those who seize opportunity’) moved to with their families. They are people from Zimbabwe or Lesotho, almost always without papers, who work here under the most dangerous conditions.
Since December 2023, the government has wanted to ‘combat and stop illegal mining’ with Operation Vala uMgodi (‘closing the holes’), and is actually hunting down the workers. Since then, the task force consisting of soldiers and police has been causing fear and terror among the miners. In August, for example, 500 Zama Zamas were chased into a swamp in Springs by this task force and then the reeds were set on fire. Anyone who tried to escape was shot at with rubber bullets. Many people were killed and seriously injured.
The threat by former police minister Bekhi Cele to close the shafts, i.e. to bury the Zama Zamas alive, shows the whole inhuman fascist propaganda used to justify the crimes.
In Stilfontein, the task force has been blockading the shafts and supplying the miners with food and water since October. Several hundred came to the surface. They were arrested immediately. But thousands continue to wait in the dark. They would rather starve and die of thirst than run into the arms of the police, which meant imprisonment and deportation. By now they are too weak to make the difficult journey to the surface using ropes and ladders. The minister in the presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said this week: ‘You want us to send help to criminals? Honestly? We don't send aid to criminals. We will smoke them out.’
Desperate relatives protest on the ground with placards reading ‘No to the smoke them out policy!’ ‘Stop the genocide!’ In response, the police allowed food and drink to be brought down by volunteers on two days this week.
On Saturday, human rights lawyers obtained an injunction from the Supreme Court to allow emergency medical assistance to be provided. However, the paramedics and doctors are unable to reach those trapped without the help of technicians, geologists, etc. But help from relatives who know their way around is not allowed.
12 years ago, the police organised the massacre of 34 striking miners in Marikana. Back then, tens of thousands of miners went on strike in solidarity. Thousands of Zama Zamas are acutely threatened with death. They deserve the solidarity of all miners!

Fascists have been in government since the last election and the agitation against migrants is reaching hysterical proportions. If a few people are caught sneaking across the border or working illegally somewhere, it makes a big splash. The government's latest idea is the planned closure of all spaza shops (food kiosks in the townships) run by undocumented migrants. This is likely to be a large proportion of these shops. Eight children had died from rat poison and it was rumoured in the media that the owners of the shops had deliberately poisoned the children. President Ramaphosa has since had to clarify that there is no evidence of this, but that rat poison is used constantly by residents everywhere in poor neighbourhoods. But the allegation is out in the world and the raids on ‘undocumented’ migrants will continue.

(Sources including
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2024-11-16-court-orders-police-to-stop-blockade-of-zama-zama-exits-in-stilfontein/
or
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/just-in-court-order-stilfontein-mine-be-open-to-emergency-services/
or
TV: SABC)

 Short BBC film about Zama Zamas:
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-61609559   

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)