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June 15, 2013
MARIKANA
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The mine workers of Marikana keep fighting and warmed the possibility to strike this week. They fight for a rise against the attempts of the imperialist mine companies to fire. Facing this conditions, on June 3 a union leader of NUM (official mine union) was murder and other worker, which identity was not public, was severe wound. This happens at the gate of the NUM union office.
On june 6, the ANC government threatened facing “the constant violence between the unions and the situation on the mine” t send “peacekeeping forces” to the area. Although he did not mention which ones were those forces, some of the sources assured that they are SANDF troops, which are the same troops sent to DCR, this is the South Africa army send by imperialism to protect their private property.
The miners of the region again are ready to fight, showing to be able to retake the fight of last year, where they set up a strike committee, unified their ranks with all the mine workers, and fought, even physically against the union bureaucracy of NUM who defended the boss interest.
Today the bosses together with the ANC-CP government are able no to give anything and prepare thousands of dismissals in some of the most important mines, such as the ones of Anglo American. This attack is to liquidate the militant left wing of the mines and in this way take revenge from the defeat imposed by the mine workers in the strike of last year. This is not the first attack; they have already organized their henchmen to kill worker leaders while they water this down, saying that it is the responsibility of the clashes between the two unions. In this way it creates the conditions to isolate the mine fight and surrounded it with their “peacekeeping forces”, lackeys of imperialism.
The fight for wages they wanted to take it to the bargain table between the government, bosses and the NUM bureaucracy. This trap is at the back of the workers and their strike committee, and they want to impose it dismissing workers. We cannot allow it! Down with the negotiation at the back of the workers! Increase of wages for all right now! Not a single dismissal! It is necessary to unify the worker ranks of all the full timers, contracted and outsourced ones and with the retrenched workers and the immigrant workers, under the same and single demands. Health, housing, wages and decent education for all now! There is enough money! Expropriation without payment and under worker control of the land, factories, Banks, and imperialist assets! Out with the Anglo American and other transnational companies from all Africa!
Unfortunately, AMCU only demands to be part of the negotiation table with the bosses and it is not calling to set up the strike committee in order to smash the imperialist transnational companies and Zuma government taking again the fight from last year that shook the continent and world.
If today the bosses concentrated their forces, it is because NUM union bureaucracy together with COSATU, led by CP of SA and supported by all the reformist and social imperialist currents who met in the WSF of Tunisia last March left isolated and surrendered the example fight that the mine workers of Marikana. They left isolated the heroic fight of the mine workers of Marikana and prevented to extend in the entire south of the continent. The fight the mine workers of Marikana started at the war cry of increase in wages or we kill the management and must be generalize to all South of Africa so it can unite the fight of the color workers with their class brothers of North of Africa and Middle East with their revolutions for bread.
It is necessary to take again the fight setting up and strengthen the strike committee, or as the workers named it “War Committee”. We have to unify with the workers of the entire South of Africa to prepare the class offensive against the attack of the Anglo American and other transnational companies want to impose. For a great Congress of the Worker and exploited people in Marikana, with a rank-and-file delegates of the mines, factories and the rural areas where the retrenched worker and immigrant worker are part of it!
Today we need Self-defense committee to defend the physical integrity of our leaders, and facing the threat from the government to militarize the area! General Strike to stop the attack to the miners of Lonmin!
Out with Zuma and the ANC-CP government, followers of the Apartheid regime, servants of US imperialism and the British crown! For a worker and popular government based on the striking rank-and-file organ! Anglo American and the other plunders of the continent kill us and make us suffer hunger and worst sufferings in the entire region coordinately! We the working class must coordinate to stop the attack and stop the hits they want to imposed us, not only in South Africa, but in the entire region.
In this tasks, the UK working class, from entire Europe and USA must upsurge in defense to our class brothers of Africa and fight against their own imperialist bourgeoisie such as Anglo American, who plunder Africa and today they want to impose to the European working class the same sweat-shop conditions of the oppressed countries.
Correspondence