Malema forcing SA to look at plight of miners
JULIUS Malema is sympathetic only to the cause of his own redemption – all in the guise of one who cares deeply for the plight of the poor.
He may genuinely believe that he is doing what he is doing for the poor, and may not understand why people say that he is only exploiting them for his own ends, but it’s hard to believe him because his track record doesn’t align with his current actions.
He is right that the mineworkers are being exploited. He is also right to say that the conditions in which they live are unacceptable.
SA was the world’s largest gold producer for decades, until recently when China surpassed us.
We should not discount the fact that SA mineworkers were also some of the most exploited in the world.
We are also the world’s largest platinum producers by a mile. One would have thought that our miners would have been paid more than any others in the world, yet that is not the case, even after 18 years of democracy. This is the great crime and shame of SA. This country was built on their backs, yet we ignore them and continue to treat them as the outcasts in the labour force.
Well, now they are telling us that we can’t ignore them any more. If we are not careful, someone will exploit them for his own ends. Oh, hang on, someone already is, and his name is Julius Malema.
So, all in all, Malema is right. All we have done over the past 18 years is to ensure that the mines remain profitable at the expense of the workers.
Convenient
The problem that I have with Malema is that he speaks the truth only when it’s convenient.
That doesn’t mean we ought to discard the truth that he speaks simply because of the source.
The truth is no less true because it comes from an undesirable. What we ought to do is to question the intent, while embracing the truth.
Regardless of the truths Malema speaks, we must question the motives, intentions and the timing of those truths. We know that he wants to get back into the ANC.
If that means he must employ a scorched earth policy against the state to get the ANC to see the power he has, then he will use whatever instrument he has at his disposal.
And he is doing just that. For the first time, we as a country are actually looking into the conditions of the miners.
For the first time, we are focusing on the human element of the industry. And Malema is forcing us to take that look – but he is a distraction at the same time.
Mineworkers are underpaid and uncared for. So it is no surprise that we have seen the anger of miners who are in danger when they go underground, yet are not compensated appropriately.
The manner in which mineworkers are paid can be traced back to the history of legislated and accepted racism in SA.
The whole mining history of SA probably contributed more to apartheid than any other industry.
Malema knows that there is great anger among the workers. The anger is not unjustified; he also knows that.
But instead of leading, he adds fuel to the flames.
And so, in his attempt to get back at the ANC, he is exploiting the miners. And in their desperation, they are glad he is there for them – for once, someone is listening to them. If that be Malema, so be it. Malema is conducting guerrilla warfare against the ANC. And so far, he’s frustrating the elders just enough and revealing to them the shame bubbling underneath the surface.