When a delegation of African National Congress leaders met with the owners of the world’s biggest mining houses in the early 1990’s, a defining compromise on ownership of the country’s mineral resources and the distribution of profits that followed was made.
Mining giants such as Anglo American and Goldfields were able to retain control and ownership of valuable mines in exchange for including previously sidelined leaders in their deals – and most importantly – a commitment to improve the standard of living of its employees.
A loan agreement signed between South Africa and the International Monetary Fund on the eve of the first democratic elections then became the proverbial nail in the coffin of any aspirations of a socialist state in 1994, affirming capitalism’s victory in Africa’s newest democracy. In an opinion piece published on the guardian’s website, ANC and SACP stalwart Ronnie Kasrils recalls this as the moment the liberation movement sold us out.
Fast forward 20 years and as the country celebrates two decades of freedom, its mining industry has been flipped on its head. The platinum and gold giants that were able to retain its riches have failed to improve the lives of the majority of its people. As a result, thousands of miners on the platinum belt and gold reef continue to down tools demanding better wages.
This year has seen a particularly interesting situation develop. For the first time in the country, Anglo American Platinum has decided to sue the Association for Mining and Construction Workers Union, AMCU. The platinum giant wants AMCU to pay nearly 600 million Rand for losses it’s incurred due to the intimidation of its non striking workers. The company claims this intimidation has led to it not being able to produce more than 60 thousand ounces of platinum.
What makes the situation interesting is that the lawsuit has been filed slap bang in the middle of a strike by more than 10 thousand AMCU members at Amplats.
One cannot deny that the two are linked – and the message from the boardroom is that AMCU hasn’t budged a “centimeter” in negotiations aimed at finding a settlement. Of course, these talks are all about compromise, and AMCU’s relentless pursuit of a living wage of 12500 certainly makes a multi-million Rand lawsuit a useful bargaining chip.
So it seems we’ve reached a stalemate. Now, the moral evaluation must arise; how much have the mine bosses given to the people & how much have they made? Who bears the moral responsibility to either pay more – or – demand less?
A difficult question, not because the figures are hidden in stacks of financial reports, but because one cannot measure the mining companies’ contribution in monetary terms.
@van1go
GRASSROOTS 