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| Police in South Africa slaughtering striking workers, kill 34 miners. |
Frantic wives searched for missing loved ones, President Jacob Zuma rushed home from a regional summit and some miners vowed a fight to the death Friday as police finally announced the toll from the previous day's shooting by officers of striking platinum miners: 34 dead and 78 wounded.
Police Chief Mangwashi Victoria Phiyega said that Thursday was a dark day for South Africa and no time for pointing fingers, as people compared the shootings to apartheid-era state violence and political parties and labor unions demanded an investigation. Phiyega took over in June after two police commissioners were indicted for corruption and other charges. She already had her work cut out trying to reform a corrupt and scandal-ridden force.
Thursday's shootings are seen as a microcosm of the myriad problems facing South Africa 18 years after white racist rule ended, including growing inequality between a white minority joined by a small black elite while most blacks endure high unemployment and inadequate housing, health care and education. Zuma's government has played down demands that South Africa's mines and farms be nationalized. His party's powerful youth wing argues that nationalization is the only way to redress the evils of the apartheid past. Zuma's office confirmed that he had left a regional summit in Mozambique and was on his way to the mine, 70 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of Johannesburg.
The shootings "awaken us to the reality of the time bomb that has stopped ticking — it has exploded," The Sowetan newspaper said in a front-page editorial Friday. "Africans area pitted against each other... They are fighting for a bigger slice of the mineral wealth of the country."
At hospitals in the area, people gathered, hoping to find missing family members among the wounded. At the scrubland scene of the killings, a woman carrying a baby on her back said she was looking for a missing miner.
"My husband left yesterday morning at 7 a.m. to come to the protest and he never came back," said Nobantu Mkhuze.
At least 10 other people were killed during the week-old strike, including two police officers battered to death by strikers and two mine security guards burned alive when strikers set their vehicle ablaze.
Your heading suggests that Police had just opened fired on peaceful protesters! You are spreading propaganda and what you are writing is wrong! Those strikers, were armed with Pangas, Knifes, Machetes and other dangerous weapons! They were about 3000 strong and became increasingly more violent as they had already brutally killed two security guards by cutting off their jaws and setting them on fire to burn to death! Further more they had killed non striking union members and hacked two police officials to death, stealing their weapons in the process! The Unions and Police tried in vain to disperse the violent protesters but to no avail, they would not listen and decided to storm attack the police with their handmade and traditional weapons, the police had no choice but to open fire upon these violent strikers! There was nothing Brutal about it and they did not Slaughter them, they protected themselves! What would you do, you have a gun and 3000 protesters armed with Pangas came storming upon you? Stand Still? I don't think so!
ReplyDeleteWe here at ET6 Nation truly do appreciate your comment and views of our heading on such a sensitive topic in that region. We relay relavent news stories around the world and try to depict them as responsibly and accurately as possible. Please remember there is more than one side to a story and because we chose this heading doesn't mean we are setting a stage to promote propaganda or be partial to anyone. Had we chose a heading different seemingly to support the officers in this situation we would have also offended someone. We do understand and take our responsibility to our viewers very seriously however, we give our viewers more credit that you do. We believe our viewers are able to read a story and decipher where the truth is closest because even you do not know the full truth and it's origin. The Country of South Africa has a history of violence like this which is documented and not manufactured by propaganda. The overwhelming mistreatment of the black South Afican still exists today. We here believe in truth not denial. Yes there probably were 3000 angry protesters and yes things probably got out of hand. However, Police Chief Mangwashi Victoria Phiyega took over in June because of indictments to the last two commissioners for mass corruption and other voliations. This just seems eerily close to what took place during Apartheid which is only 18 years removed in this Country. So as a man faced in a no-win situation no matter what race, color, or creed you are there is a boiling point to oppresion. Anytime there's smoke there's fire and in this case South Africa and it's oppressors have created a lot of smoke. Please don't forget the horrific tragedies that took place against these people. Signing on to this problem as a Police Officer, knowing that these inequalities and oppresion still exist you have to be sensitive in handling a protest about dangerous working conditions that mean life or death. Also, why is there always a justification for the murder of a African man whether it be in America, England, or any other country for that matter. Yes I do believe some of those policeman where justified but I don't believe they all where. We see it everyday and it's becoming a tiresome thing. Police Officers should be allowed to protect themselves but also should be trained well enough to not allow a protest to result in mass murders. Thanks once again and feel free to visit our site and leave comments like this because it's the only way to have useful dialogue and it educates our viewers on what's going on in the world.
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