Mr Speaker, Comrade Deputy President of the country, comrades and hon members, I stand on behalf of the APC to pay tribute as well as to express our great sadness and deep regret over the disturbances in Marikana that led to the unnecessary death of about 44 people and the injury of many more.
This tragedy calls on us to honestly face up to our challenges as a nation. The illusion that the co-option of a few amongst us into the vampirish system will buy everlasting peace must be laid to rest. In the violence and deaths at Marikana, a mirror has been put in front of us as a country.
Only last week we were on this rostrum, each proclaiming our support for the National Development Plan, NDP. You see, the central plan or trajectory of the NDP is fighting poverty and inequality. Marikana exploded before the echo of our voices could fade. Marikana is the face of the theorised poverty and inequality.
The police officers, security guards and miners who died are all children of the working class, who should be in the same trenches fighting the system that exploits, brutalises and dehumanises them and their communities. What drives men with wives and children to act in such a desperate and anarchic manner, if not that life had become barely livable?
The mine bosses and their greed have seen the superexploitation of mineworkers from the advent of mining in our country to date. This injustice is also visible in communities around which these mines operate. We have seen sporadic protest and violence from poor communities, especially around the North West.
The APC therefore calls for this tragedy to be a wake-up call. It can't be business as usual if we want to see these deaths not being in vain.
I would like to take this opportunity to lay a few ghosts to rest: Firstly, the APC had nothing to do with the occurrences at Marikana, directly or indirectly; secondly, the APC has no relationship with Amcu, not that we would mind to give them political leadership or guidance under our umbrella; thirdly, yes, the APC has members in the Lonmin mine, Impala Platinum, and elsewhere, in Amcu, the NUM, and in Numsa; fourthly, yes, the APC has organised a mining summit for the marginalised communities with mines and mineworkers in the North West this coming Sunday. We have planned this after extensive work and seeing the need to unite the wretched of the earth, to fight this tripartite alliance of traditional leaders, corrupt leaders and mine bosses, at least in the North West. May the souls of the dear departed rest in peace. Thank you.