ie8 fix

Speakeasy forum: The Union Showed Up With Spears, Machetes, & Clubs

by: James Denison August 17, 2012 9:42 AM PDT

Like this

0 people like this thread

Staff pick

The Union Showed Up With Spears, Machetes, & Clubs

by James Denison - 8/17/12 9:42 AM

What else did they expect?! If you bring enough weapons to start a war against the law and the mine owners, can you truly be surprised when your violence is properly addressed?

Union Activity In South Africa, a Black Ruled Country Now.


Crime scene investigators combed
the site of the shooting, which was cordoned off with yellow tape,
collecting spent cartridges and the slain miners' bloodstained
traditional weapons - machetes and spears.
Six firearms were recovered, including a service revolver from one of the police officers killed earlier in the week.
Prior to Thursday, 10 people had
died in nearly a week of conflict between rival unions at what is
Lonmin's flagship plant. The London-headquartered company has been
forced to shut down all its South African platinum operations, which
account for 12 percent of global output.
South Africa is home to 80
percent of the world's known reserves of platinum, a precious metal used
in vehicle catalytic converters. Rising power and labor costs and a
steep decline this year in the price have left many mines struggling to
stay afloat.
Although the striking Marikana miners were demanding huge pay hikes,
the roots of the trouble lie in a challenge by the upstart Association
of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) to the 25-year dominance of
the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), a close ANC ally.
"There is clearly an element in
this that a key supporter of the ANC - the NUM - has come under threat
from these protesting workers," said Nic Borain, an independent
political analyst.
AMCU leaders have been
criticized for telling the striking miners - many of whom are barely
literate - that they were "prepared to die" rather than move from their
protest hill.
Pre-crackdown footage of dancing
miners waving machetes and licking the blades of home-made spears
raised questions about the habitual use of violence in industrial action
18 years after the end of apartheid.

Forum Icon Legend

  • UnreadUnread
  • ReadRead
  • Locked threadLocked thread
  •   
  •   
  •   
  •   
  •   
  •   
  •   
  • ModeratorModerator
  • CNET StaffCNET Staff
  • Samsung StaffSamsung Staff
  • Norton Authorized Support TeamNorton Authorized Support Team
  • AVG StaffAVG Staff
  • avast! Staffavast! Staff
  • Webroot Support TeamWebroot Support Team
  • Acer Customer Experience TeamAcer Customer Experience Team
  • Windows Outreach TeamWindows Outreach Team
  • DISH staffDISH staff
  • Dell StaffDell Staff
  • Intel StaffIntel Staff
  • QuestionQuestion
  • Resolved questionResolved question
  • General discussionGeneral discussion
  • TipTip
  • Alert or warningAlert or warning
  • PraisePraise
  • RantRant

You are e-mailing the following post: Post Subject

Your e-mail address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the e-mail and in case of transmission error. Neither your address nor the recipient's address will be used for any other purpose.

Sorry, there was a problem emailing this post. Please try again.

Submit Email Cancel

Thank you. Sent email to

Close

Thank you. Sent email to

Close

You are reporting the following post: Post Subject

If you believe this post is offensive or violates the CNET Forums' Usage policies, you can report it below (this will not automatically remove the post). Once reported, our moderators will be notified and the post will be reviewed.

Offensive: Sexually explicit or offensive language

Spam: Advertisements or commercial links

Disruptive posting: Flaming or offending other users

Illegal activities: Promote cracked software, or other illegal content

Sorry, there was a problem submitting your post. Please try again.

Submit Report Cancel

Your message has been submitted and will be reviewed by our staff. Thank you for helping us maintain CNET's great community.

Close

Your message has been submitted and will be reviewed by our staff. Thank you for helping us maintain CNET's great community.

Close

You are posting a reply to: Post Subject

The posting of advertisements, profanity, or personal attacks is prohibited. Please refer to the CNET Forums policies for details. All submitted content is subject to CBS Interactive Site Terms of Use.

You are currently tracking this discussion. Click here to manage your tracked discussions.

If you're asking for technical help, please be sure to include all your system info, including operating system, model number, and any other specifics related to the problem. Also please exercise your best judgment when posting in the forums--revealing personal information such as your e-mail address, telephone number, and address is not recommended.

Sorry, there was a problem submitting your post. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem generating the preview. Please try again.

Duplicate posts are not allowed in the forums. Please edit your post and submit again.

Submit Reply Preview Cancel

Thank you, , your post has been submitted and will appear on our site shortly.

Close