South African: Marikana, signs of South Africa’s tough road ahead?

The strike in the platinum belt, led by militant union AMCU, appears to be coming to an ultimate confrontation after more than 3 months. The strike is one of the longest in South Africa’s history and could have devastating consequences for the sector, which in turn will reverberate throughout the South African economy. The mining companies and labour union, AMCU have yet to find agreement on the wage increase, with the union steadfast on its demand of R12, 500 (US$1,210).

The current conflict in the platinum belt reflects the wider issues of South Africa; a nebulous network that needs to be navigated by the ANC government, the private sector, and the rest of society. The growth that has been experienced in the past 10 years has done very little to alleviate socioeconomic challenges – South Africa is still cursed with rising inequality, stubborn poverty rates and high levels of unemployment. With the standards of living only exacerbating the resentment many have with the present economic dispensation, Marikana may not just be a battle between three companies and 70,000 mineworkers, but a fight about the very nature of South Africa’s economic structure.  

The blurring of lines between referee and player

Since 2012, AMCU has been very sceptical of the government’s impartiality, which has made it very difficult for the government to resolve the situation in the platinum belt. In the past, the ANC led government has often had to deal with labour strikes that have been led by Cosatu, a partner in the Tripartite Alliance. In many ways this has made the issue of dealing with labour grievances and the entire labour environment in the country more difficult. As a result, the ANC is also involved on the side of employers, whether as government in state institutions, or through the involvement of its leaders in the large corporations of the country. This has presented contradictions in a party which claims to be sympathetic to workers’ struggles and at the same time open to business concerns. The ambiguities of the ANC Alliance have also seen heads of unions taking part in key leadership structures of the ANC, which on occasion has led to Cosatu leaders endorsing government policies in opposition to what workers want.

The ANC has also found itself as part of the elite club, which forms the country’s capitalist class, that many of South Africa’s working classes rage against. In the aftermath of the 2012 Marikana massacre, the very close relationship between ANC leadership and the private sector was exposed in correspondences involving then non-executive director of Lonmin, ANC Deputy President, Cyril Ramaphosa. Ramaphosa had exchanges with the Minister of Minerals and Minister of Police regarding the situation at Lonmin, and prior to the deaths of the 34 miners. Whilst denying his actions had any bearing on the deaths, Ramaphosa’s involvement highlights how political connections are often used as leverage by the private sector to gain access to government officials, which raises the level of scepticism workers have about government’s ability to push through transformative social policies that will benefit the poor. From the perspective of miners, who do not have the same privilege of access, this creates a view that government, party bosses and the private sector are in cahoots.  This negative perception created by the ruling government has allowed more radical political forces like the EFF to step into the gap. 

Economic Freedom in our lifetime: The rise of the far-left

“Economic Freedom in our lifetime” has been the slogan of radical left-wing party, the Economic Freedom Fighters. This call has been used to promote policies such as nationalisation and land expropriation without compensation.  At the core of this slogan is a demand for people to have better standards of living, and to have decent work for decent pay. They see radical policy shifts as the only way to achieve these ends. The events in Marikana could spur further support for such sentiments. For AMCU the R12, 500 pay raise is not merely a matter of money but a fight to gain their dignity. With the ascent of the EFF into parliament, sentiments such as those coming from Marikana may find greater voice in the legislature.

In the ANC alliance, one of Cosatu’s largest affiliates has also revealed that it still plans to create a worker’s party outside of the ANC. NUMSA has been at loggerheads with Cosatu leadership and the ANC under Jacob Zuma for the better part of the past five years. Its policies are closely aligned to the EFF, which would allow for easy cooperation, a position NUMSA General Secretary is open to. Numsa General Secretary Irvin Jim has pointed to the ANC’s slight but gradual electoral decline over the past 20 years as an indication that is time for a left leaning party to step in.

The radical left will create an obstacle course for the ANC’s policy implementation in the next five years. Marikana will only be the beginning.

Originally published on the africapractice blog here: http://www.africapractice.com/blogposts/page/23/?id=6350