Marikana: Voices from South Africa’s Mining Massacre
About this ebook
While the official Farlam Commission investigation of the massacre is still ongoing, many South Africans do not hold much confidence in the government’s ability to examine its own complicity in these events. Marikana, on the other hand, examines the various roles played by the African National Congress, the mine company, and the National Union of Mineworkers in creating the conditions that led to the massacre. While the commission’s investigations take place in a courtroom setting tilted toward those in power, Marikana documents testimony from the mineworkers in the days before official statements were even gathered, offering an unusually immediate and unfiltered look at the reality from the perspective of those most directly affected. Enhanced by vivid maps that make clear the setting and situation of the events, Marikana is an invaluable work of history, journalism, sociology, and activism.
About the author
Peter Alexander is the South African Research Chair in Social Change and a professor of sociology at the University of Johannesburg.
Thapelo Lekgowa is a freelance research fieldworker, part-time journalist, political activist, and member of the Marikana Support Committee.
Botsang Mmope is an herbal healer associated with Green World Africa. He is an active member of the Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee.
Luke Sinwell is a senior researcher with the Research Chair in Social Change at the University of Johannesburg.
Bongani Xezwi is a freelance research fieldworker and an organizer of the Landless People’s Movement and the Right to Know Campaign in South Africa.
