Marikana Support Campaign deplores police partiality at COSATU rally
The Marikana Support Campaign wants to clarify that it attended the Cosatu rally in Rustenburg on 27 October as supporters of the striking miners, wearing the Amplats-Marikana Support Campaign t-shirts.
The Campaign came to the rally to hear Cosatu general-secretary Zwelinzima Vavi speak. Contrary to news reports, the Campaign is not opposed to Cosatu and neither did they occupy the stadium where the Cosatu march was headed.
The Marikana Support Campaign was there in their numbers to support workers who hoped to send a clear message to the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) that they do not want anybody to negotiate in their name. Most of the miners are still NUM members and feel that they have been betrayed by the NUM leadership.
The strikers did not occupy the stadium, as has been reported. A few strikers started to gather outside the venue before the Cosatu march arrived. A few incidents occurred, but the workers were generally well-behaved and they agreed to wait peacefully for the arrival of the Cosatu and NUM march.
As the march entered the stadium, one of the Marikana Support Campaigners, Rehad Desai, was stripped of his t-shirt and trousers. He was then arrested by the police and after an hour taken to the police station where he was charged with public violence. The charges were later dropped.
As the marchers proceeded into the stadium, one of the Amplats strikers (wearing a t-shirt demanding a R12 500 living wage) was attacked, kicked and beaten and pushed to ground. We have camera footage of the incident.
When other Amplats strikers came to his defence, close to where marchers entering the stadium, the police arrived with teargas, water cannons and aiming at the over 2,000 Amplats strikers gathered outside the stadium with steel-coated rubber bullets. They gave chase to the strikers for about one kilometre. Cosatu marchers, mostly NUM members, also joined the chase and attacked strikers at the perimeter of the stadium and in surrounding streets.
At this point we know that 13 people have been shot by police and are in hospital, one is in ICU. Two people shot with live ammunition, one in the leg the other in the chest.
Over 500 Marikana Support Campaigners attended the rally and we want to clarify that earlier reports that we incited violent incidents are without foundation.
We deplore the partiality of the police, which has only served to heighten the tensions between the striker committees and the union federation. These strikers are nearly all NUM members and came to listen to Vavi, who most still recognize as a leader with integrity.
For more information call Rehad Desai: 083 997 9204