Messages from the distant Republic of South Africa are reminiscent of reports from the battlefield. On the evening of August 16, bloody clashes broke out between striking miners and special police forces, as a result of which 34 miners were killed and 78 were injured. This tragedy happened near the platinum mine in Marikana. The country has not known such bloodshed since the end of the apartheid era. South African President Jacob Zuma was forced to urgently interrupt his participation in the summit of South African countries and head to the area of unrest.
South Africa is extremely rich in minerals. In its depths there are many diamonds, gold, platinum, chromium, uranium, polymetallic ores. The export of these minerals is one of the main sources of foreign exchange earnings. Therefore, there are many mines in the country, which employ thousands of miners. In many mines, mining is carried out at great depths. This is a very difficult and dangerous job, and the wages are quite modest. It is not profitable for employers to raise it, as well as to take measures to protect the labor of miners, since the number of those wishing to get a job as a miner is estimated in the same many thousands. In addition to South African citizens, these are also workers from neighboring countries, where the standard of living is much lower, and therefore even modest (by South African standards) salaries seem to be the ultimate dream.
The ill-fated Marikana mine, which belongs to the influential British company Lonmin, was no exception. This company has been mining precious metals in South Africa for more than a century, and Marikana is of particular importance to it. Suffice it to say that it is from this mine that over 10% of all platinum mined in the world is extracted. In the end, the miners working at the Marikana went on strike demanding higher wages. The situation quickly heated up, aided by intense rivalry between the leadership of the two mining trade unions.
On August 16, a huge crowd of workers, many of whom carried cold steel, surrounded the police guarding the mine. It is still difficult to establish why the police opened fire on the strikers. The fact remains: a tragedy of a large scale has taken place. Well, the company "Lonmin" has already suffered large losses both because of the idle mine, and because of the sharp decline in the price of its shares. Truly: "The miser pays twice."
