Gavin Capps looks at how platinum has taken centre stage in South Africa's mining industry—and how workers have paid the cost Platinum mining is a big part of South Africa's economy. South Africa holds 88 percent of the world's platinum reserves and accounts for over...
Lonmin
South Africa does not support the death penalty, or does it?
The groundWork team Almost a week after the Marikana Massacre and in the midst of a week of mourning for those who were tragically killed at the Lonmin mine, the groundWork team sends their condolences to the families of the deceased and reflects on what this series...
The Marikana Massacre reveals the depths of the fault lines in South Africa | by Sahra Ryklief
On Thursday 16th August, 34 striking mineworkers were shot dead by police at LONMIN's platinum mine in Rustenberg. It is not yet clear why the police were using live ammunition, nor whether a warning was issued. Audio-visual depictions of the event demonstrate a...
The massacre of our illusions …and the seeds of something new | by Lenny Gentle
The story of Marikana has so far been painted shallowly as an inter-union spat. In the first few days after the fateful Thursday and the shock and horror of watching people being massacred on TV there have correctly been howls of anger and grief. Of course no one...
On the Politics of Protest in Cape Town
By Jared Sacks A few weeks ago the City of Cape Town was rocked by a spate of road blockades and other significant protests. Certain liberal NGOs have joined the DA in condemning the protests claiming that they are violent and motivated by political party agendas. To...
Miners’ wives rage at South African police brutality after ‘massacre’
Women performing apartheid-era toyi-toyi dance condemn mine company as they wait for news of victims of police shootings Nosisieko Jali's husband is missing. She has heard a rumour that a bullet hit him in the head, yet he survived. One witness said all his clothes...
The Marikana action is a strike by the poor against the state and the haves | by Justice Malala
The shooting at Lonmin's Marikana mine exposes weaknesses at the heart of South African society The story of the London-listed Lonmin's Marikana mine shootings is that of a trade union that cosied up to big business; of an upstart and populist new union that exploited...
Historic Lonmin faces “perfect storm” after killings
LONDON - "You can never have enough enemies," Tiny Rowland once boasted, but even the buccaneering tycoon who built what is now Lonmin plc might blench before the "perfect storm" it faces after South African police killed 34 strikers at its Marikana platinum mine....
Lonmin Statement on Marikana Situation
Lonmin Chief Financial Officer, Simon Scott said: "On behalf of the whole Company I would like to express our sincere condolences to the families and friends of all those employees who have lost their lives, not only in the events of Thursday but also in the days...

