The strike by workers in Marikana is officially over, ending a series of bloody events that received plenty of national and international coverage. However, does it mean all the problems have been resolved? The Daily Maverick's Mandy De Waal does not think so.

Here's her article:

Marikana: The strike might be over, but the struggle continues

Cheers and whistles echoed across the Wonderkop Stadium amid a sea of jubilant, dancing miners at Lonmin’s Marikana platinum mine. After more than five bloody weeks of work stoppages and violent clashes with police that left 45 people dead, miners accepted a pay offer, which many have taken as a signal that the strike is now over.

Lonmin's Sue Vey said mine management wouldn’t comment because final agreements had yet to be signed, but headlines across the globe are reading: “S. Africa's Lonmin miners accept pay rise to end strike.”

Reuters reports that management offered a 22% pay rise, which workers accepted, saying that they’d be back at work on Thursday 20 September, 2012. "It's a huge achievement. No union has achieved a 22% increase before," Zolisa Bodlani, a worker representative at Marikana, told Reuters.

The big concern amongst the mining sector now is that this unprecedented pay increase would set a benchmark for the industry. "The key worry now is that 22% wage rises will be seen spreading across the mine industry. That is hardly affordable in an industry with such hefty cost pressures already," Peter Attard-Montalto, an emerging market economist at Nomura International, told Reuters.

But as news organisations waited for Lonmin management to confirm that the strike was indeed over, word came from the Marikana Solidarity Campaign that the struggle was far from finished. “The campaign will go on,” said Chris Molebatsi, a Lonmin worker and member of the organising committee for the campaign.

“This campaign is aimed at helping workers. People died here at Marikana. Something needs to be done. This is a campaign to ensure justice for the people of Marikana. We want the culprits to be brought to book, and it is crucial that justice is seen to be done here. It is our duty and the duty of this country to ensure justice is served, so that we can make sure this country is a democracy and to stop South Africa from going down the drain,” Molebatsi told Daily Maverick.

The Marikana Solidarity Campaign has a lot of work to do, according to Molebatsi, who says that the immediate tasks include supporting families, getting counselling for traumatised people, and overseeing the government-appointed judicial commission to ensure justice is an outcome of that process.

Molebatsi said that people in Marikana were still being subjected to police brutality, and that there was a need for the campaign to intercede. “During the past week people were taken from their homes and arrested by police, and people have been shot at. We need to ensure the safety of these people, and need to help stop police action against the people of Marikana,” he said.

“The work is enormous. Some people still need medical attention, and we also need to look at the living conditions of workers and the community at large. Then there is the problem of the unemployment of women and the high rate of illiteracy here. We need to help realise programmes to ensure people can get an income, that they can enjoy a reasonable standard of living,” he added.

Molebatsi said that Marikana could well be the beginning of a revision of mining labour practice in South Africa, and that what happens at the Lonmin platinum mine could ripple out to all other mines. “Marikana could become a benchmark,” he said.

As miners and the women from the community met with a civil society delegation, human rights lawyers and academics in a church in Wonderkop, there was a strong sense that Marikana was part of a much bigger struggle.

“We are trying to build strong support and solidarity not just for tomorrow, but for the weeks and years ahead, because we have to change living conditions,” said Section 27’s Mark Heywood, part of the civic delegation that had come to Marikana to meet with workers, women and the Marikana Solidarity Campaign, and to lend support. Organisations involved include Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa; Sonke Gender Justice; Studies in Poverty and Inequality; Students for Law and Social Justice and the Treatment Action Campaign.

At the meeting, Heywood held up a copy of the Constitution and said: “The Constitution of South Africa is the most important weapon we have. It is more powerful than Jacob Zuma, but it will only give you power if you organise around the Constitution, if you organise around its rights. Marikana cannot be a place where the law doesn’t operate.”

Heywood said he knew that people in Marikana now feared the police, but said that Section 27 would help rally legal aid for workers and the community to ensure that their rights to freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of association were not compromised.

Women at the meeting stood up and spoke about police brutality and intimidation. “The police are quick and fast,” said one woman, who did not want to be identified for fear of police victimisation. “When they shot at us on Saturday we couldn’t even take down the car registration.”

“We as women are not free, we are scared of the police,” said another. “These are the same police that shot at the striking workers. They come into Marikana.”

The sentiment most often expressed by the women is that of abandonment. “This government has abandoned us,” said a woman at the meeting. “This government doesn’t care about us. The government haven’t even come here to apologise to us. The only person who came was Julius Malema, but they turned him away. Now we will be orphans. No one cares for us.”

But as the meeting unfolded, it was evident that civil society organisations were stepping firmly into the gaping breach, and would collaborate with the people of Marikana. Together with the Marikana Solidarity Campaign, workers and the women of Wonderkop are becoming organised, because there’s a sense that what’s happened in the North West mining town is bigger than Marikana.

Again and again, workers, activists and women voice the feeling that this could be the start of a broader movement for change that will catalyse the revision of mining labour practices, if not for more accountable leadership from the ANC and the people it has put in government.

Source: http://dailymaverick.co.za/article/2012-09-19-marikana-the-strike-might-be-over-but-the-struggle-continues

A few weeks ago, Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg hosted an exhibition titled “Hail to the Thief II”, which consisted of paintings by an artist named Brett Murray. According to the gallery’s website, “This body of satirical work continues his acerbic attacks on abuses of power, corruption and political dumbness seen in his 2010 Cape Town show ‘Hail to the Thief’”. One of the paintings was one of South African President Jacob Zuma with his penis hanging out. The artist named it “The Spear.” As the South African public became aware of this painting, it caused a massive stir in the country, and polarised opinions and people.

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) quickly came to the defence of party leader Jacob Zuma, saying the painting is an attack on his dignity. It demanded that the artwork be removed from the gallery, as well as from its website and other printed materials. The City Press, a local newspaper, had already published it, so the ANC demanded that they too remove it from their website. The City Press initially refused to give in to the ANC’s demands on the grounds of freedom of expression. The ANC then asked “all peace loving South Africans” to boycott the newspaper, and marched to Goodman Gallery to protest against the painting. The City Press eventually agreed to take down “The Spear” from their website as their staffs were allegedly threatened with violence.

In the middle of all these events, two men – who do not know one another – went to the gallery and threw paint on the artwork, perhaps with the intention to cover the controversial part of the painting. They were both arrested by the authorities for damaging private property. The German buyer of the painting, however, agreed to buy it in its current form, which will soon be shipped off to Germany. The ANC and Goodman Gallery also held a joint press conference to bring this saga to an amicable end. Since then, “The Spear” is no longer dominating headlines. But in many ways, it was a revealing moment about the new South Africa. In many ways, it was a test for our young democracy, our beliefs and values. How did we fare in the test? Did we come closer towards forming a national consensus on dealing with sensitive issues that have racial and political connotations, or did we only divide ourselves further? Or did we reach a middle ground that may be difficult to define at this moment? While we may be tempted to answer these question right now, perhaps we will only know the truth when we look back at this period years down the line.

The damaged art work.

But then again, sometimes truth can be relative. What we can certainly agree on is that "The Spear" exposed all the complexities that form the foundation of our diverse country. It showed that despite all our differences, we have managed to create a space where we can talk about these differences – as acute as they may be – and express our views with rigour. This saga also raised a number of questions, by politicians, artists, thought leaders and ordinary South Africans alike. In this blog post, I provided a short summary of events, especially for readers who have not followed them closely, or are not in South Africa. In Part II, I will explore some of the questions and issues this incident has brought to the fore. We may not have all the answers right now, but if we don’t even explore the issues honestly, we will do a disservice to the future generations. In the words of Professor Jonathan Jansen: “We Need To Talk.”

Today is Freedom Day in South Africa, a public holiday that commemorates the first democratic election held on April 27, 1994. This photo essay tries to capture 'an angle' of the South African story, recognising that this story can be told in a number of different ways.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years. His crime was

demanding freedom for his people.

People waiting in anticipation for Mandela's release.

On February 11, 1990, Mandela walks free...

Mandela with then-President FW de Klerk. Negotiations for a transition to democracy

is in full swing.

Ballot paper for the first democratic election of 1994.

18 years ago today, on April 27, 1994, millions of South Africans lined up to

participate in the election.

People of all races and creeds waiting to exercise their right to choose

their own government.

An elderly voter, who waited a lifetime for this historic moment...

Newly elected President Mandela with two Deputy Presidents, Thabo Mbeki and FW de Klerk.

Together they formed the Government of National Unity.

An iconic image of Mandela congratulating the 1995 Rugby World Cup winning captain

Francois Pienaar.

Johannesburg in the night time. The new South Africa achieved significant

economic growth.

South Africa becomes the first African country to host the 2010

FIFA World Cup.

The World Cup was a massive festival enjoyed by people from all walks of life.

The scenic Green Point stadium in Cape Town, where several world cup matches were held.

Although South Africa has achieved political freedom, and tremendous progress has been

made in terms of delivering basic services to millions of people, many South Africans still

suffer from poverty and socio-economic inequalities. This is the biggest challenge facing

the new South Africa.

When I applied for SAWIP, I was well aware of the magnitude of the program, the sense of responsibility that comes with it, and of course, the scope for personal growth. But some of my SAWIP experiences have also been different to what I initially expected. For example, I didn’t expect such a strong and supportive family environment. I didn’t think that I will question my views so often. I didn’t think that I will meet so many inspiring young people driven by the idea of a better South Africa for all. I can only be grateful for this once in a lifetime opportunity. I feel honoured, privileged, and ready to begin this journey.

I am also excited. When you read the bios of SAWIP 2012 team members on this website, you may think we are a 'team of stars' (if you are so kind). But when you see us in action, you will realise that we are more of a ‘star team’. Last night, when looking at the entire SAWIP program, I was thinking, “This program, although extremely exciting, is intensive. It will require of us to not only give our best, but may even push us to the edge of our abilities. There are challenges that lie ahead. There will be responsibilities that we must fulfill under severe time constraints. How will we respond to those challenges? How will we rise to the occasions?”

Although I have only known my teammates for over a month, I wasn’t fazed by those questions. I thought…

I know Daniel will always remain calm under pressure.

I know Nondu’s open-mindedness will expose us to endless possibilities.

I know Kwadwo can articulate even the most complex of ideas.

I know Carel’s innovative thinking will take us to the next level.

I know Phiwe’s genuineness will make us reflect, and remain accountable to ourselves.

I know Makhosazana will listen – a special ability we often underestimate.

I know Jason will embody servant leadership in any situation, and extend his help.

I know Thamsanqa will always prepare 120%.
I know Edyth will be resourceful even when we have ran out of ideas.

I know Shannon will push himself beyond his limits.

I know Parveen will accomplish whatever task she has set her mind on.

I know Zola will never give up.

I know Allie will ask the most probing questions, and keep our feet on the ground.

I know Kgotsi can sum up all the different views in a room, and come up with a coherent argument for everyone to follow…

I only wrote about the qualities that first came to my mind. In reality, we are multi-talented, and hope to learn and grow a lot more from the SAWIP experience. I feel blessed to be part of this team. We are young and full of energy. We know the complex socio-political and economic problems faced by the people of South Africa. But I am also certain that the SAWIP journey will inspire us to tackle those challenges with an uncompromising clarity of vision, unity of purpose, and solidarity with our people.