Rustenburg activists launch week of action for the right to protest!
Members of the Right2Know Campaign, Marikana Youth Development, Mkhukhwini section and three activists who face trumped-up charges will be having a week of action in and around Rustenburg to defend the right to protest and challenge the mines to implement their community responsibility plans.
On Tuesday 26th September 2018, Emkhukhwini residents protested at Lanxess Mine to hand over a memorandum. he key grievances relate to right-to-protest issues and the social and labour plan. Management did not avail itself to accept the memorandum.
Today, on Thursday 27th of September 2018 MYD will march to Tharisa Mine. The mine has a history of undermining the community’s right to protest, resulting in a court order in favour of the right to protest on 16 August 2018, but we won’t stop until our demands are met. The key grievances relate to right-to-protest issues and the social and labour plan.
On Friday 28th of September we will be supporting Bheki Bhuthelezi, Siphamandla Makhanya and Jacob Khoza who were arrested and face trumped-up charges of attempted murder in 2014, during the historic five-month strike led by mining union AMCU in Marikana.
The charges were trumped up, and eventually, after a series of court appearances taking place over a lengthy 18 months, the case was dismissed due to failure of the prosecution team to produce evidence. The case mirrors that of many other mining activists that have been targeted by the police in the North West since the Marikana massacre in 2012.
Now the charges against Bheki Bhuthelezi, Siphamandla Makhanya and Jacob Khoza have been reinstated. The three men are back in court, facing the same charges that were initiated against them in 2014, with no new evidence.
Makhanya and Khoza are mineworkers and AMCU members. The third man, Buthelezi, is a full time trade union activist in the North West. During the 2014 strike, these men were seen as key strike leaders. We believe this is the reason they have been targeted by the police.
Defend the right to protest in Rustenburg!
