We are all to blame for Marikana

THIRTY-four men who were sons, uncles, nephews, brothers, boyfriends, husbands, fathers and breadwinners – mowed down by police artillery in a time span of about 10 minutes.

We are still reeling in shock at such carnage and unnecessary loss of life but it is the families who will be feeling the impact for many years to come.

What do I mean? The death of the 34 Lonmin miners was preceded by the killing of 10 others just a few days before the Marikana massacre, as some call it. The 10 included two security guards, two police officers and six miners. These deaths were caused by the miners themselves and the level of uproar was muted compared to the deaths that came later. To me it seems it is acceptable for workers to kill each other – that it is part and parcel of the struggle – but it is not acceptable for them to be killed by law enforcement officers.

What happened in Marikana, is symptomatic of the culture of violence enveloping our country.

Remember the xenophobic attacks in 2008? Sixty-two people were killed mercilessly by South Africans who are now sleeping peacefully in their homes and 21 of those killed, were South African citizens mistaken for foreigners. Remember the Satawu security strike of 2006? The violent strike lasted for more than three months and when it was over, about 40 non-striking security guards had been killed.

We have forgotten these men already. I don’t remember any municipal workers’ strike that is not accompanied by violence and the intimidation of other citizens. To me it seems the loss of life and the mayhem that accompany most protests is an expected collateral damage. We are all resigned to the fact that when community members protest, they will block major highways, stone passing motorists and destroy valuable property.

What happened in Marikana, is what happens in South Africa on a regular basis. The truth is, we are a nation of hooligans prone to violence at the slightest provocation. While looking for someone to apportion blame to over what happened in Marikana, we should be aware that we are all to blame.

We must remember those lives will never be recovered. What we can recover, however, is our lost morals. Like we did with an initiative such as the Peace Commission, we should campaign for a nation with ethics and one that values human life.

Afrika Mhlophe is pastor of the Good News Community Church in Port Elizabeth