Striking platinum miners were among some of the speakers at the Marikana dialogues hosted by the Masifunde Education Trust held at City Hall on Wednesday 4 June.
Striking platinum miners were among some of the speakers at the Marikana dialogues hosted by the Masifunde Education Trust held at City Hall on Wednesday 4 June.
Michael Ramatsela, one of the striking miners from Anglo American Platinum gave weight to the 'food for votes' allegations against the ANC when he spoke at the dialogues.
He said, "Three platinum mines are on strike and it's been nearly five months without getting paid. We are starving. We saw a lot of food parcels being distributed by the ruling party before the elections but it's been very quiet now that the elections are over".
His words were often greeted with rapturous applause from the crowd as he described the miners' struggle with the platinum companies.
Ramatsela said "the situation is bad because our bills are tripling in arrears and we are forced to make loans all the time".
The dialogue formed part of a nationwide tour aiming to raise funds for the struggling miners and informing the public about what happened in Marikana from their perspective.
Ramatsele said the miners have split into teams going around the country.
"My team and I have been to Cape Town, Welkom and Bloemfontain urging for the support of the public to and to give our side of the story as well".
He was accompanied by Jacob Khoza, a shop steward from Anglo Platinum and Molefi Phele, from Lonmin in Marikana.
The strike in South Africa’s platinum belt, which has crippled output at mines owned by the three biggest producers for almost 18 weeks, has left many starving.
The flow of wages relied upon by the miners’ families has dried up as a result of the strike and workers have forfeited R8.5 billion in wages, said Bloomberg’s Kevin Crowley in an article posted on May 22.
According to a report by eNCA, over 600 platinum belt mineworkers have returned home to the Eastern Cape.
As the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union-led (Amcu) strike continues unresolved, members of the Grahamstown community are urged to join the nationwide drive to assist families affected by the costly strike with food donations.
Grahamstown humanitarian, Ntuthu Blow said, "This (local appeal) is being organised by myself and other concerned citizens and we urge anyone to assist with non-perishable food, toiletries and possibly with money as well."
In a press statement to Grocott’s Mail, organiser Camalita Naicker said, "As a gesture of humanity, we call on all South Africans to assist in stopping the starvation among our poor communities affected by the strike.
“We appeal to citizens of South Africa to make small and big gestures in support of children, women and men who are affected. In particular, we appeal to South Africans to donate food."
Those interested in assisting are urged to contact Camalita Naicker on camalita.n@gmail.com, Fezi Mthonti on fezimthonti@gmail.com or George Barrett at g.barrett@ru.ac.za.
The protracted strike began over a wage dispute on January 23, when members of Amcu at Lonmin, Impala Platinum, and Anglo American Platinum downed tools, demanding a basic monthly salary of R12 500.
Negotiation talks between the parties remain deadlocked.
The nationwide effort to assist the miners and their families is endorsed by the Archbishop of Cape Town, Dr Thabo Makgoba, the South African Council of Churches and the Evangelical Alliance of South Africa.
It is also supported by academics such as Professor Adam Habib, Vice-Chancellor, University of the Witwatersrand and Professor Ihron Rensburg, Vice-Chancellor, University of Johannesburg.
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