South African workers can never stress enough the importance of coordinating our struggles

Dear friends, colleagues, workers and dear comrades.

As South African workers across all Industries, Sectors and all workplaces we dedicate this day, this message to you, and this meeting we are having with you to all Marikana workers, those who died 11 years ago.

As we approach the International Miners Conference we are reminded as the South African workers that:

On the 16th of August 2023 marks exactly 11 years of the struggle of the Mine Workers in Marikana in our Country. A struggle that was meant for the improvement of the lives of the Mineworkers and the lives of their families. A demand for better working conditions, a demand for a living wage at mere R12, 500, a demand for accommodation of their families in their places of residence whilst working underground. It is these demands that saw the Owners of the Miners responding in a manner that really shows their true character. An army of police officers heavily armed was despatched into Marika with orders to shoot and kill the hundreds and thousands of the striking miners. On this day 34 Mineworkers were shot and killed most of them were declared dead on the spot or some on their way to the Hospitals on the same day of that Fatal shooting.

Families lost their fathers, women lost their husbands but most of all several families lost their breadwinners on this day.

This incidence sent shocking waves all around the country and to some extent to the world outside our country. This shooting and killing incidence served as an ugly reminder to all South Africans most of whom had been fooled in 1994 into believing that in deed at last the country and its people are free. It served to show that our freedom is a voting freedom which does not including the ownership and control of the means of production and the country’s economy.

We gather today with you to share with you , to remind you and to emphasise to you all present here today that the message we bring, is that South African people a majority whom are African (Black) continue to be slaves in their own country Africa. They continue to live only to die at the bullets of those of who own Africa, its Land, its Minerals and its Resources. And that Africans stand to gain nothing in the work and production of any goods and services that come out of these Mines.

Friends, Colleagues, Workers, and dear comrades please join the South African working Class, the South African workers and their families when they today stand firm and opposed to the continued super exploitation of all workers in this country but in particular the Mine workers.

We as South African workers can never emphasise enough the importance of the coordination of our struggles as workers worldwide. It is for this reason that we remain resolute in supporting the coordination of the Mine workers worldwide, we remain resolute in the support of the coordination of the Automotive workers worldwide and we remain resolute in the support of the coordination of the struggles of all people fighting against various forms of oppressions worldwide.

Hence, we say forward to the 3rd International Miners Conference forward!!! Forward to the International Anti-Imperialist Anti-Fascist United Front forward!!!

All power to the workers!!!