Let's look between the rainbow and rain with Philip Frankel as we head to the Marikana massacre anniversary

 

Let's look between the Rainbow and the Rain.

 

Working at Coca Cola perseverance as a security guard

Between the rainbows and rain with Philip Frankel

Then I worked at the Alexkor diamond mine in Alexander Bay as a guard

Welcome back to the blog, thank you again for following Book Slot on Tuesday.

 As previously stated, this is not necessary a book review column but rather a slot that I have created for those who want to get into gear with reading.

Getting a certificate for participating in some community programme on HIV/AIDS

 Here we go as far as scrutinizing the book in a positive way as well as look at the lessons, skills we can learn from each author or characters in the book.

It does not matter who you are, your educational background or what type of books you are interested in.

Here we share knowledge, travel through books, meet people and learn about the other people’s hobbies, cultures, religion, sport and also draw some similarities with us etc.

 

We are all about promoting the culture of reading and a platform to share books that are already out there.

Age is not a restriction here, bookworms from any book club, booksellers, high scholars, students, pensioners and even primary school kids can participate.

 If you have an interesting book, which you have read and would like to share what you have learnt or what we must know about, that too is welcomed.

Just bear in mind that everyone views this blog. Therefore, articles or books that are inappropriate for the public will not be published including comments that promote hate speech etc.

With that being said, today’s book is Between The Rainbows and the Rain: Marikana, Migration, Mining and the Crisis of Mordern South Africa. Published by the Agency for Social Reconstruction in 2013.

Yes, we travel to the mining town of Marikana in the North West province, just approximately two hours’ drive from Johannesburg.

Until August 16, 2012 nothing was knowing about this mining town. It made a dramatic historical announcement to the world when police, live on TV cameras shot miners with live bullets.

If you are from South Africa or even if you are reading as a none South African, here is my little investigation and experience knowledge about the (SAPS).  

 

Book cover of Between the Rainbows and the Rain by Philip Frankel

This is just from my experience as an investigative officer, experience journalist and a member of South  African community.

Though South Africa was declared a none racial, none sexist country etc after the 1994 elections.

 https://www.timeslive.co.za/amp/sunday-times/news/2015-06-21-marikana-widows-labour-of-love-for-slain-husband/

 The police department is still not yet transformed.  Like many white establishment that resisted change or take orders from a black men in authority.

 

 It ended up being rid of clever blacks and remained with a workforce of those that only took orders from Baas and never questioned anything for fear of victimization and being without a job etc.

 

This in my view has created a lot of miscommunication and errors or someone intentionally exercising his racist action while the blame was the top official, a black deployed minister of police or black workers.

 

With the other levels of the department not taking any responsibility. With fear having paralyzed some of the officers, some cases and orders are  ignored.

 

But to get back to our book, Frankil, writes as a sociologist of both the mining and South African developments from before the end of apartheid.

In the book, we learn that most mining companies in South Africa violate the principle that was agreed with  traditional authorities  i.e mine workers should originate from 50 km of the shaft. This was probably done to prevent other things like worker’s exploitation and human trafficking which Philip states in the book.

“Miners are so debt-bondage that it is impossible to pay off the traditional or secular network in a single lifetime no matter what rewards he or she derives from years of labor in the mine. In these cases, depending on the inhumanity of the creditor, accumulated debts can be transferred to another member of the family who will then be held hostage in what has become  a trans-generational system of exploitation”, that is from page 88 of the book.

On of the stories I wrote for the papers on Marikana

He also writes about how Johannesburg based, West African syndicate that are not only involved in the loan-sharking to miners and other urban people, but also racketeering, drugs and small armaments are also in.

So young women, a mixture of rural South Africans, Zimbabweans and Mozambicans who have been hijacked by gangs while seeking transportation to the urban centers are forced to commercial sex.

They are raped, beaten or forced into drug addiction that will ensure their dependence on the perpetrator.

The other topic that Phillip explores in his book is that most miners do not successfully articulate their grievances and mines normally or notoriously manipulate the causes of death by safe conditions.

I don’t know about you, but me after reading this book. I feel there was indeed a third silent, feared force behind the Marikana Massacre.

I think it is also time to reflect on Cyril Ramaphosa’s input in the mines. Not forgetting the other elements like the loan sharks and labour brokers which lives the miners with little money to send home.

Let’s also look at the bursary schemes of miners including those that are fallen. Then after let us discuss the historical day with all angles covered….