Responsibility for the Lonmin Tragedy
We have had just one more tragic event in the tainted history of our new democracy. 34 people were killed after a shoot-out with our South African Police services. This strike was marred by violence from day one and that was why the police were called out.
Our president Mr Zuma has been called to accept responsibility, our minister of police, Mr Mthethwa has been called on to accept responsibility, and The SAPS has been called to accept responsibility. Mr Malema was instrumental to instigate criminal charges laid against the Police Officers present and involved in the shooting. There is calls for Lonmin to accept responsibility for the tragedy.
When we start to look at the fact of this whole tragedy, the following has been established:
It was an illegal strike that was not sanctioned directly and openly by any union.
There was violence prior to the day of the shooting and from all evidence all the act of violence was instigated by the striking workers.
The mine and police has a fiduciary responsibility to protect innocent people and property of innocent people against any illegal activity by striking workers.
On the day of the attack it was obvious form the film footage that the striking workers were in the process of going on the rampage. That was the stage at which the police engaged in deadly fire to contain the crowd.
Now if we need to look at responsibly we need to re-assess the whole situation. All the workers there were participants in an illegal strike. All the workers involved in the riot were armed with traditional weapons and obviously some with firearms as well, as the police were shot at. All these workers are union members and as they were striking their unions should have intervened stopped the illegal strike and started a process of negotiation.
So from this point it is obviously that the instigator/s should primarily be held accountable and they should all realise that they all have the dead strikers blood on their hands. All the striking workers that survived that participated in the riotous action has the blood of the dead workers on their hands.
From the video clips it is obvious that the police officers there was NOT trained or equipped well enough for that situation. They were scared for their lives and who wouldn’t be, we have all witnessed what crowds like that could do. Are they to blame, I am not so certain, but then who is to blame? Their superiors that send these untrained officers into the field should be held accountable. All the officers that was involved in the sub-standard training of these police officers and by default the chief of police and the Minister of Security should be held accountable.
Who appointed the Minister of security? I do believe It is Mr Zuma, and as the saying goes “the buck stops here”.
I have not heard a word from the Unions about accepting responsibility for not taking any real action to stop this illegal strike. They are however the loudest at pointing the finger of blame at everybody except at them selfs.
One of our more controversial public figures once said the problem with this country is that there is an attitude of entitlement, and it was exactly this attitude of entitlement that triggered this tragic event.
For us as country to reach the greatness we are capable of we ALL need to drop this attitude of entitlement, uphold the law (no illegal strikes) and use the systems that is in place if we are not happy with what is busy happening (like OUTA is doing about the e-toll) and take personal responsibly for each and every action we perform, then we may prevent tragic events like this.
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