It’s Sunday morning and I’m sitting in my lounge watching E News before heading off to work. The story on is about a funeral held for some of the miners killed during clashes with police. I say clashes with police, the media say Mine Massacre. They show footage of the people crying, and a photo of a young 24 year old miner who was one of the small group seen charging towards police. They interview a friend who explains how angry his is about what happened. They pull on our heart strings describing this young (up standing pillar of our society) as the soul bread winner for his entire family.
Now don’t get me wrong, loss of life is never something to celebrate even when its justified. But I really couldn’t help wondering if this is the worst kind of injustice and sending out the wrong message.
Tsietsi Hendrik Monene, Sello Ronnie Lepaaku, Hassan Fundi and Frans Matlhomola Mabelane !!!
Some of you may know who the above names are, but most of you won’t so I will enlighten you. The first two names belong to two Warrant Officer’s from the Public order Police Unit (most of us remember the unit as Internal stability). The other two names belong to two security guards from the mine. Hendrik and Ronnie were hacked to death while performing their duties by striking Lonmin mine workers, Hassan and Frans were also hacked to death during fighting between the two different union groups. (There were stories going around that the 2 security guys were burnt to death in their car, I can’t find it on Google, which kind of proves a huge point.)
Now let’s get a few things straight, the miners admitted, those that survived, to paying a Sangoma R1000 each to take muti that will protect them from police bullets. This would only work as long as they went forward and didn’t retreat. Unfortunately the killing of an innocent rabbit on the hill nullified the Muti’s affects. (Read minors blame rabbit story). The Miners killed some cops and security guards. They were engaged in an illegal strike and were armed. Then they shot at and charged OUR cops, who correctly defended themselves and the media contingent around them.
Where is the story about the Police Officers killed, maybe they are the soul bread winners of their families? Where is the story about the 2 security guards hacked to death just doing their job?? Where is the footage of their funerals? Why haven’t those police officers been given proper official funerals for giving the ultimate sacrifice for their job? IT MAKES ME SICK!!
I don’t care about the 24 year old criminal who put himself into that position and got killed. I do care about the Cops and security staff that paid the ultimate price for what will eventually come out as Union violence.
We celebrate wrong doing and turn a blind eye to true heroes. we are a sick society which leaves me more disillusioned every day.
That’s all I have to say!
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