Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) president Joseph Matunjwa has launched a scathing attack on all South African presidents since 1994.
He says they have failed to address the problems of poverty and inequality and gender-based violence – which many South Africans face.
Mathunjwa delivered his keynote speech during a commemoration of the victims of the Marikana massacre in Rustenburg, northwest of the country.
Hundreds of people gathered at Marikanskaya Kopka to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the massacres.
Mathunjwa says that the presidents of the country after 1994 did nothing for the citizens.
“The fourth president [Cyril Ramaphosa] that we have a billionaire but all these presidents have not changed the life of a black child in South Africa. We need a president who has compassion, and that’s the kind of president God has appointed. God who will touch the minds and souls of South Africans and open their eyes and consciousness to be able to elect a president who will not sleep in his house but he will know what has happened,” Mathunjwa adds.
Meanwhile, Mathunjwa reiterated the call to declare August 16 as a public holiday.
“We will fight to make this day a public holiday for South African workers. August 16 should be declared the Day of Public Workers,” he says.
10th Anniversary Tribute Video:
‘No justice for Marikana victims’
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) say there was no justice for the victims of the Marikana tragedy.
The party also criticized President Cyril Ramaphosa’s role in demanding simultaneous action against striking workers at the Lonmin mine, where he was a non-executive director.
It says that his path to the presidency is paved with the blood of the deceased.
EFF spokesperson Sinawo Tamba says the Marikana massacre has permanently damaged South Africa.
“The EFF demands compensation for the widows and children of the Marikana miners. We are calling for mines across the platinum belt to build houses, schools, clinics and infrastructure in Marikana. We call for August 16 to be made a public holiday so that future generations will always know what happened that day.”
“For a democratic state to kill people for profit. No one should tire of demanding justice for the people of Marikana because this nation will never know peace until there is justice for those killed that day,” says Tambo.
The healing process for the victims’ family members: Father Michael Lapsley
Lambast Ramaphosa ATM
The African Transformation Movement (ATM) has criticized the lack of respect for the families of those killed in Marikana.
ATM spokesman Sibusisa Mnkwabe says: “As we all know, the victims have not been compensated. The families of the victims were not compensated, even the person who is very involved in this case, the current president of this country, did not even visit the victims and the families of the victims.”
“This will remain a dark cloud over Ramaphosa even if he is no longer president of this country. It shows that he does not believe that some people deserve respect,” adds Mnkwabe.
How police are coping with crowd control 10 years on:
