[miningmx.com] — SOUTH AFRICA’S leaders did not respond earlier to
the ongoing crisis in Marikana and at surrounding mines because they “thought tha
Marikana was an isolated incident that would blow over’, a member of the
government’s executive has revealed.
But he said it was now becoming clear “people (referring to sacked ANC Youth League
leader Julius Malema) are willing to go on little adventures for their own ends that
could have consequences for the state as a whole’.
Eight Cabinet ministers, as well as the Chiefs of the Police and the SA National
Defence Force, said on Friday that Government would no longer tolerate “acts of
violence and intimidation’.
They were unclear, however, about whether live ammunition would be used again,
how arrests would be carried out or whether the Army would be deployed.
The briefing followed an earlier meeting of security cluster ministers, which included
Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa, Intelligence Minister Siyabonga Cwele and Defence
Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.
The senior government leader said that Malema was not a threat by himself, but “if
you see he is willing to go as far as addressing soldiers, you know there are people
who have the capacity to be adventurous’.
Malema met soldiers from the Lenasia military base on Wednesday. By having the
press conference, “we needed to clearly remind people what the rules are, because in
this confusion people can forget what the parameters are for protesting and
incitement,’ the leader said.
Another source in the security cluster said that there seemed to be a “continuation of
these actions (mine strikes)’ and the government felt that it needed to step in.
Another government official said the briefing was held ahead of the ANC’s National
Executive Committee meeting, to which ministers rushed after they addressed
journalists, to avert possible criticism from within the party that President Jacob
Zuma’s government wasn’t taking decisive action.
The violence was high on the ANC NEC’s agenda as it met this weekend.
It was the first time that the committee had discussed the matter since police killed
34 miners last month.
In a report by the party’s national working committee, tabled at this weekend’s
meeting, the party bemoaned the fact that the police were in effect ”immobilised’
after the shooting “in the face of marches in the Lonmin offices and shafts by a group
of strikers, whereby the latter promised to shut the offices and also kill those at
work’.
The party also expressed concern about the conflict spreading to gold mines.
The report bemoaned that “carrying weapons is now a norm, despite the country
having seen a growing number of workers being hacked to death’.
Zuma last week in Parliament promised action against those inciting violence.
