Far from the glitz and glamour of the WTA Tour, this is Venus and Serena Williams visiting a South African township near Johannesburg. The sports most famous sisters made a trip to the Arthur Ashe Tennis Centre to launch their ‘Breaking the Mould’ campaign to promote the achievements of women.
Also known as BTM, the campaign is based around promoting women who have overcome adversity to succeed at home and in their communities.
Credit:livesporttv.com
Managers at a gold mine in South Africa have begun the process of dismissing more than 12,000 striking workers.
Yet the AngloGold Ashanti mine operators insist they are still trying to bring an end to the impasse.
Haru Mutasa reports from Carltonville
Source, credit to Aljazeera- http://www.aljazeera.com/video
An inquiry into dozens of deaths during weeks of strikes at a South African platinum mine is resuming. The investigation opened earlier this month, but was postponed because of logistical problems. It’s expected the post mortem examination and ballistic reports will be presented on Monday. Ahead of the hearing, Al Jazeera’s Tania Page met with the family of one of the victims.
South African mine workers at the Samancor chrome mine in Rustenburg have told Al Jazeera they’re being intimidated by striking colleagues.
It follows weeks of protests by miners demanding higher wages.
Al Jazeera’s Haru Mutasa reports from Rustenburg.
Source, credit to Aljazeera- http://www.aljazeera.com/video
The company says the 12,000 illegally striking workers didn’t show up for disciplinary action.
South African police have fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters at a platinum mine where 45 people were killed over a deadly wage dispute that erupted at the beginning of August. Saturday’s show of force followed a government threat to halt illegal protests and disarm strikers who have stopped work at one gold and six platinum mines northwest of Johannesburg. The strikes have destabilised South Africa’s critical mining sector. It was the first police action since 34 miners were killed on August 16 when security forces opened fire at the Marikana mine. About 500 officers raided hostels at Lonmin PLC platinum mine before dawn and confiscated homemade machetes, spears, knives and clubs, police spokesman Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said. Al Jazeera’s Haru Mutasa reports from Marikana, South Africa.
Johannesburg, October 3 — Ongoing strikes within the trucking and mining industries could have dire consequences for the economy if wage agreements are not met. Ratings agency Moody’s has downgraded the deposit ratings of five major South African banks. This comes after it downgraded Eskom, Telkom and 12 municipalities. Foreign investors are also parting with their Gold Fields shares, due to the labour disputes. The CEO of the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Neren Rau, says he is no longer confident about the country’s turnaround.
Alec Russell, news editor, talks to Helen Zille, leader of South African opposition Democratic Alliance, about the recent social unrest connected with the mining industry and the outlook for the economy as a whole.
A judicial commission of inquiry into the fatal shootings of 44 people at a Marikana mine has opened.
The BBC reports that the inquiry was set up by South African President Jacob Zuma.
The investigation will determine the roles played by the police, the management of the platinum mine, Lonmin, the unions and government.
Some 34 striking miners were killed in a day of bloodshed on 16 August. Ten others, including two policemen, died during weeks of unrest at the mine.
The killings on 16 August were the most deadly police action since the end of apartheid in 1994.
The commission, which consists of a three-member panel led by retired Supreme Court of Appeal Judge Ian Farlam, is expected to complete its analysis within four months. It must submit its final report within a month of finishing its investigation.
The mood among the various representatives in the air-conditioned auditorium in Rustenburg’s Civic Centre changed from emotional to legalese after the panel observed a minute’s silence in memory of the 44 people who died and whose names were read out.
The lawyer for most of the victims’ families then made an application for the hearings to be postponed for at least 14 days to allow him time to consult his clients who are scattered across vast rural areas of the countryside.
The judge declined, but promised an expeditious investigation. However, the morning’s proceedings highlight the legal minefields an inquiry of this magnitude will have to navigate to get to the truth.
Ironically its proceedings begin on the same day as the governing ANC’s nomination process for the party leadership in December. Ultimately the fallout may cost Jacob Zuma the presidency, as some within his party call for him to have a one-term limit. But it has made those loyal to him campaign hard for his re-election and ensure his possible challenger, Kgalema Motlanthe, remains his deputy.
Video evidence
The proceedings are being held at the Rustenburg Civic Centre, near the scene of the shooting and 100km (60 miles) north-west of Johannesburg.
At the opening of the commission, the names of the dead were called out and a minute’s silence held.
Judge Farlam said: “It is very important that the truth, in so far as what happened over that period, should become clear as soon as possible.
“We have to balance the need to deal with the matter with expedition, with the need to be thorough.”
A short time into the proceedings, a lawyer representing families of dead miners asked for a postponement of at least 14 days. Dumisa Ntsebeza said this would give him time to consult his clients, who are scattered across a vast rural area.
He was supported by the lawyer representing most of the 270 miners arrested following the shootings, says the BBC’s Milton Nkosi at the court. The counsel for the police made no objection.
But the commission rejected the request for a two-week adjournment, saying its work needed to be completed with speed.
After the morning’s proceedings Judge Farlam travelled to the site of the killing, 30km from Rustenburg, where some protesters had gathered with signs saying: “Don’t let the police get away with murder.”
A total of 46 people died in the violent protests which took place during weeks of unrest at the platinum mine. However, only 44 deaths are being investigated as two deaths fall outside the scope of the inquiry.
The investigation will also examine the conduct of any individuals or groupings in promoting conflict and confrontation.
There are plans to set up giant screens in Marikana, close to the scene of the shootings, to allow relatives and friends to follow proceedings closely.
Video footage of the police shooting at the striking miners, which shocked the world, may be used as evidence during the hearings.
Late last month, striking miners at the Marikana mine agreed to return to work after accepting a pay rise of up to 22%.
But the strikes and unrest have spread to other mines in South Africa, one the world’s biggest producers of precious metals.
On Friday, an official from the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) was seriously injured in a petrol bomb attack on his house in the mining town of Rustenburg.
The union said it believes the attack was carried out by a “hit squad” as part of a campaign of intimidation against its members in the platinum industry.
The NUM is locked into a formal alliance with the ruling African National Congress (ANC).
Correspondents say South Africa’s unions are facing a crisis of credibility, with workers turning on their bosses – accusing them of being too close to capital, and government.
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