Reality is stranger then fiction, what happens when the two merge, logic dictates that should you follow a course of reason you will come to a conclusion that supports these facts. As the character Sherlock Holmes said “'Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains must be the truth.'”
People call for truth but often went it disturbs or fails to suit their purpose they denounce it as false, truth is easily overlooked when one does not want to see it. The events of Marikana and the chain reactions that have enveloped the country have merely highlighted the major issue at hand. Strikes have grown increasingly violent over the years, uncertainty regarding the police and other public servants is not something new. The question is how did things get to this point ,both sides indicate the other as being at fault and neither are willing to acknowledge the facts. As previously mentioned the events surrounding Marikana are a good indication of South Africa current state, labours have lost faith in not only government but their chosen representatives ,government officials are so busy tethering on the edge and consumed with infighting that no progress has been made. Many refer to wage demands as excessive and unreasonable but the cost of living exceeds the income received while politicians are running amok in their fancy cars, high rise housing and woes of corruption and petty vendettas. The cases of intimation and murder are terrifying ,from workers to students many south Africans live in fear of going to work or class ,businesses are incurring major loss both on a small and large scale, people and enterprises with no relation are impacted .
I remember one year when I was still at school and we were ushered into the school hall and told to go home until further notice ,another year my PE class was cancelled and later the school was closed for three days [not much when compared to kids who have had to miss several months].I have personally witnessed two mob cases although mild in comparison to others it is still memorable to me, one involved striking teachers from other schools ,the second involved pupils from a nearby school ,more than a handful went past me with intentions of starting a fight whether the other party wanted it or not. The main topic that I will return is this, think of school as a mini community, the teachers are unproductive and have haltered services, the strikes/ disputes have set off unrest that may not necessarily impact a person or people physically but emotionally it causes a strain. Those three days that have been taken might not seem much but they could otherwise have been productive, the missed work has to be caught up on and the norm has to be re-established.
Back to the issue around the Marikana Commission of inquiry, this is a good example of leadership failure, the matter thrown back and forth is that of responsibility, did the miners deserve it, did the police act beyond reasonability. The fact is the situation should never have escalated to this point; people had to die before any action was taken and people had to die because action was taken and still many are dying as a result of what has happened. The truckers strike which has in the wake of Marikana claimed the lives of civilians is an extension of south Africa underlying problems ,things just aren’t working ,those who should be taking responsibility are not listening ,more accurately they just don’t care . It has gotten to the point that South Africa has become a parody of Animal Farm, for those who have read and remember it should think of the final scene and wonder just who you are in the story, because “all animals are equal but some are more equal then others”.
Disclaimer: All articles and letters published on MyNews24 have been independently written by members of News24's community. The views of users published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24. News24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.
