MARIKANA - Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) president Joseph Mathunjwa on Thursday, said there will be no job losses from mine workers as anticipated in the platinum belt.
Speaking at a commemoration event of the 34 mine workers shot and killed by police on August 16, 2012, in Marikana near Rustenburg -- he said told the widows that the union will be with them till the very end. He said that the actions to kill the miners six years ago were politically motivated.
He described the events as a "blood thirsty" action by political leaders as a way to appease foreign investors.
He said the union was ready for any mine company aiming to retrench its employees.
While speaking Mathunjwa turned to face Lonmin CEO Ben Magara -- the company is reported to be planning to retrench 12,500 people from its mine.
"I’m not writing a book or sending an email but I’m telling the you that the platinum belt will stand still. We are not threatened by people, five months was a very short period. We are waiting for you Mr Magara, in 2014 we were not fully prepared but we managed to transport all our members to their homes," said Mathunjwa.
"We will never fail, we paid children’s fees and bonds in five months’ time. We will stop mine production for 12 months, the revolution is imminent. We cannot allow our children to be slaves with our own minerals in our country... These retrenchments are manufactured by the state. We cannot burn in a country with such riches, our grandparents left us with no unemployment and statistics of unemployment. There was no inflation during their times."
The tributes were ended by laying of wreaths around the koppie (small hill) in the afternoon as miners were killed in the afternoon.
Thirty four mineworkers were shot by the South African police on 16 August 2012, with a further 78 wounded and 275 were arrested. Ten people, including six mineworkers, two Lonmin security officers and two policemen, were killed in days leading up to the August 16 massacre.