Minerals committee consigns itself to irrelevance on Marikana 

The ANC dominated Parliamentary portfolio Committee of Mineral Resources has consigned itself to irrelevance by voting against a discussion on the causes of the Marikana massacre. 

The ANC majority avoided committing to a date and decided that a visit and a discussion at a vague ‘future date' will suffice. Despite the DA's plea to invite affected civil and corporate parties to present their views in parliament, the ANC avoided all commitment to this end.

This morning, I pointed out to the committee that almost three weeks had passed since the Marikana shootings and that the committee had not yet discussed this issue that is currently dominating mining in South Africa.

The real reason why the ANC does not want too much discussion, is that close examination will reveal key failures by the ANC and its allies:

• There was a failure of industrial relations policy. More than 18 years after our first democratic election this was just the latest violent strike in a string of strikes where violence is wielded as a negotiating weapon without consequence for those who are violent.
• There was a failure of policing. Police do not have proper protocols for coping with violent protest. They appear to have only two options: Stand by and watch, or shoot to kill.
• The government's mining policy has failed to create jobs for unemployed South Africans because it has discouraged investment.
• The collapse of ANC-run local governments means that many mining areas provide little in the way of social support for mining communities. Marikana is situated in a municipality which does not provide basic services to its residents and has failed to account for its lack of delivery and for what has happened to its money.
• The NUM forged the violent template of industrial relations when it was formed. It has continued to use that template until recently when AMCU applied the same methods, much to the discomfort of the NUM.

Marikana was a huge embarrassment for the ANC. It is no wonder the ANC-dominated committee is so reluctant to discuss it.

Statement issued by James Lorimer MP, DA Shadow Minister of Mineral Resources, September 13 2012

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