Amcu’s Mathunjwa asks UCT to put pressure on Lonmin

BURSARIES, housing, and compensation for the workers, widows, and the wounded of the Marikana massacre were recommendations made by Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) leader Joseph Mathunjwa to the University of Cape Town (UCT) management yesterday.

“I cannot make UCT divest from Lonmin, but I can ask them to put pressure on the company,” said Mathunjwa following an address at the university.

Mathunjwa had flown to Cape Town to address a Marikana solidarity march at the university, organised by the student-led Rhodes Must Fall (RMF) movement.

The Marikana miners, said Mathunjwa, supported the actions of the RMF movement.

“You must recall that when the miners were striking in 2012, they were looking to undo the legacy of Cecil John Rhodes,” he said. “So, it is natural that they will support the actions of the Rhodes Must Fall movement and they appreciate the solidarity shown here today.”

However, although Mathunjwa expressed Amcu and the miners’ support of the RMF, he did not necessarily echo the movement’s calls for UCT to divest from Lonmin. He instead made suggestions. “The university can request that Lonmin honour their commitments to provide housing for the miners” said Mathunjwa.

“They can call for a full bursary for children of mineworkers and ensure the compensation of widows and the wounded of the Marikana massacre.”

Mathunjwa’s recommendations came shortly after anonymous art collective Tokolos Stencils – through their graffiti – revealed the university was an investor in Lonmin.

They further stated that Judge Ian Farlam, head of the Marikana Commission of Inquiry, sat on the university council, which they claimed represented a conflict of interest.

On Monday, UCT spokeswoman Pat Lucas confirmed Tokolos’s allegations but denied Farlam’s position on the council was a conflict of interest.

“UCT confirms that Justice Ian Farlam is a member of council – but he is not involved with the Joint Investment Committee or UCT investment decisions.”

The student-led movement Rhodes Must Fall has since echoed Tokolos’s calls for the university to divest from Lonmin and to make public all its investment records.

The RMF further demanded that the university rename its landmark Jameson Hall to Marikana Hall and that it remove Judge Farlam from the council. – ANA