MEC and crew lucky to be alive after gun jams during hold-up
Another Marikana as mine fails commission recommendations
AS UNSIGHTLY corrugated iron shacks multiply in and around Marikana, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) has accused the Department of Mineral Resources of reneging on its duty to probe Lonmin for failing to adhere to Judge Ian Farlam’s recommendations to improve the workers’ living conditions and its 2007 promise to build 5 500 houses.
In 2016, when asked to comment on a damning Amnesty International Report, Smoke and Mirrors, which dealt with Lonmin’s failure to provide decent housing for its estimated 20 000 employees at Marikana, spokesperson Sue Vey was quoted as saying part of the reason for not meeting housing (a legal imperative) was that “miners chose to live in informal settlements”.
“We have learnt our employees don’t want houses. They want to go back to their home countries and province... They choose to live in informal settlements,” she said.
Then in July 2017, another Lonmin spokesperson Wendy Tlou, told Sunday Independent that Lonmin was implementing some of the Farlam Commission recommendations such as facilitating home ownership for employees.
“To this end, we have converted all our single-sex hostels into family units as per the requirements of the Mining Charter and have invested R500 million in our current Social and Labour Plans (SLP 2014-18) towards fulfilling our accommodation facilitation for our employees”.
But now Lonmin’s stakeholders including Amcu and Bapo Ba Mogale are asking what the government is doing to ensure that Lonmin complies with its legal obligations to build houses, which will go a long way in ensuring stability in Marikana.
Lehlohonolo Nthontho, chief executive at Bapo ba Mogale Investment, accused “Lonmin of running away from its responsibilities and that DMR (department of mineral resources) never push them to fulfil their promise.
“We asked Lonmin to assign land which was expected to be occupied by its workers. But they never responded to us. We believe the DMR should pursue them (Lonmin). We have continually engaged with Lonmin about the housing issue but they never responded,” he said.
Questions were sent to the department which were referred to its offices in the North West Province. By the time of writing this article, A FIREARM that jammed was the difference between life and death for Social Development MEC Albert Fritz and his team as they were confronted in South Africa’s murder capital, Nyanga, yesterday.
Fritz, his two bodyguards and spokesperson Sihle Ngobese were held up by two armed suspects demanding their cellphones outside the Assembly of God Church in Zwelitsha, Nyanga. One suspect was shot dead and another seriously wounded after Fritz’s protection detail exchanged fire with the suspects. A bystander was also shot and wounded.
Fritz was to attend a DA youth event when they were attacked. Ngobese said they felt skittish and suspicious of their surroundings and were contemplating leaving when the gunmen confronted them.
“The event was supposed to take place at a different venue but when I got there I was told the venue had changed, so I went to Zwelitsha and found that the minister was already there waiting in his car.
“The programme was running an hour late. I went back outside and stood next to the car near the minister, who said he didn’t like the feel of the surroundings. While I was on the phone to a colleague I heard someone say ‘that’s enough, now give me the phone’.
“I actually turned around with a big smile on my face thinking it was the person I was on the phone with catching me off-guard, but I saw a gun and I immediately gave the phone to the one suspect and then it all went crazy.”
Fritz said he got to experience what residents go through on a daily basis. “Sihle was standing outside the window there was still no response.
Recently, the youth of Marikana went on a rampage, marching and torching property in protest against a lack of jobs that they said they had been promised by Lonmin.
Nthontho warned Marikana had the potential to be a centre for criminal activities due to a lack of jobs.
“The unemployment is no longer among youth only. The and my one protector was also outside, phoning one of our youth organisers and asking what was happening, and while they were busy with that I saw a man coming along and at first I thought it was a joke and the next minute this guy (with a gun) said: ‘I am not joking’ and he pulled the trigger but the thing jammed.
“And then my one protector took out the cellphone and threw it on the ground just to distract him and when he went down for the phone, that’s when my protector took out his gun and chased after them.
“What was interesting was the arrogance. They just came up and said ‘come, give’ and then he pulled the trigger. He didn’t even give my sergeant a chance so if that thing went off my protector would have been killed.
“I hope I’m not going to get flashbacks, nightmares of a gun that jams because you see the kind of battle in front of you and you hear this gun jamming and you think, this is it.”
“I want to say thank you that no one from our side was killed. These protectors risk their lives to save us and it would have been the saddest day in the world if one of them, who was just doing their work, was killed by a criminal.”
Community leaders have condemned the attack.
* Hours after the incident a murder took place in the same street as the robbery.
Community Policing Forum’s Dumisani Qwebe said the victim was stabbed.
“The stabbing happened shortly after 3pm just 50m away from where the MEC was robbed, and that one person was killed,” he said.
Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said a case of murder had been registered. possibility of another tragedy will always exist.”
Amcu treasurer Jimmy Gama also concurred that youth unemployment in Bapo Ba Mogale had the potential to lead to another tragedy if Lonmin doesn’t step up and give them jobs.
“The lack of jobs is the bigger issue.
“You know people want to impose themselves as if they are doing something for the people while they are only pursuing their own interests. And in situation like this, you can expect anything.”