Anglo American shuts mines as protests spread in South Africa

Anglo American shuts mines as protests spread in South Africa

The title says everything about the state of affairs in South Africa but still Milliband, Balls and Co. have kept surprisingly quiet about events in South Africa involving miners that are being exploited by foreign companies with the most absolute complicity of the African National Congress (ANC).

The Marikena Massacre in which 34 Black miners were killed by Police acting on behalf of the ANC government, was followed by a wave of arrests involving 270 miners that were accused of murder using legislation created by the Apartheid Regime. The public embarrassment of the ANC was compounded when the government was forced to back down.

What started with naked official aggression on behalf of foreign companies is now spreading across South Africa.

The actions of the ANC remind me of a novel called Il Gattopardo (The Leopard), based on the revolutionary processes of 19th century Italy in which one of the characters – an old aristocrat says: “Something must change for everything to remain the same”. In theory Apartheid came to an end but what replaced Apartheid is a lot worse.

Now, white farmers are killed and black miners are also killed. Shanty towns - where there is widespread crime rooted in extreme poverty - are still growing and impoverished South Africans dwell in derelict buildings that used to house a prosperous commercial sector. Despite its riches, South Africa has the unenviable title as the Number One Aids Country.