Mafiosi miners hostage crisis reveals disturbing truths

In South Africa, anarchy is always hovering beyond the fringes of the firelight of legal, civilised behaviour. This is a country where violence and intimidation are seen as methods to get one’s way, socially or politically.

And, make no mistake, what happened this week in the hijack of GoldOne’s Modder-East mine by members of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) was anarchy.

It was a group of people using violence and intimidation to deprive other citizens of their human rights, foremost of which was their freedom.

More than 500 miners failed to come to the surface at the end of their shift on Monday morning. Some of them were Amcu members staging a sit-in protest to force recognition of their organisation by management.

However, other miners – members of the National Union of Mineworkers and Solidarity – were forced to remain underground because of Amcu intimidation, which allegedly included welding shut turnstiles.

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Economist Dawie Roodt is spot on when he calls what happened “economic terrorism” and “mafia-like” in its execution.

The fact that nothing happened to resolve the hostage situation for two days – and the fact that it could happen at all – speaks volumes for the state of law enforcement in our country.

Worse than that, though, is the image of this country that will go out to the rest of the world: a picture of a government unable to control the thugs in its midst, or able to secure the business and property of investors.

That is the real damage. The US government this week issued advice to investors not to put their money into either Uganda or Zimbabwe because of those countries’ disrespect for human rights.

How long will it be before it does the same for South Africa for our slide into anarchy?

ALSO READ: Amcu accused of welding shut entry and exit points as miners held hostage