ANC slams Malema for ‘treacherous utterances’

AP

Former youth leader of the ANC Julius Malema addresses mine workers at the Lonmin mine near Rustenburg on Saturday, August 18, 2012.

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ANC Western Cape leader Marius Fransman has hit out at former youth league president Julius Malema, saying his speech to miners at Wonderkop outside Rustenburg at the weekend was “opportunistic” and “smacks of rabble-rousing”.

Fransman called for restraint on comments about the shooting and said the planned commission of inquiry announced by President Jacob Zuma should be allowed to do its work and determine the causes that had sparked “the terrible tragedy”.

“If anyone has any information on the run-up or the event, they must present it to the commission instead of reacting in treacherous utterances,” he said.

“There are many aspects of the tragedy that need to be investigated.

“It is not only the police action that is under scrutiny. The police had to react when they were stormed and shot at, despite barricades to minimise problems and control the strikers.”

It had to be remembered that two police officers had been killed earlier in the week, the strikers had dangerous weapons and “many other atrocities” had occurred, Fransman said.

“It is also disconcerting that Malema has since August last year extensively used war talk and said there will be war in 2012. Is this the type of war he talked about and sought?

“It is unacceptable to engage in all sorts of war talk to bring down the social fibre of society,” he added.

In Joburg, SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande hit out at the “pseudo-trade union” the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union, claiming it had been funded by mining company BHP Billiton “in a deliberate attempt to undermine the National Union of Mineworkers”.

“The SACP firmly rejects the attempt to portray the events last week as being essentially rooted in trade union rivalry,” he said.

There had been ongoing efforts by the private sector to weaken trade unions by using labour brokers, Nzimande added.

“In essence you are employing workers who have no rights, because you are able to avoid this kind of legislation.”