Jubilee Sa Outraged At Police Beatings And Arrests Of Demonstrators At Anglo Platinum's Twickenham M
Published by MAC on 2007-01-04Source: Jubilee South Africa National Office
JUBILEE SA OUTRAGED AT POLICE BEATINGS AND ARRESTS OF DEMONSTRATORS AT ANGLO PLATINUM'S TWICKENHAM MINE
Jubilee South Africa National Office Press Statement
4 January 2007
Jubilee South Africa is outraged at the disregard for human rights and the pattern of violence perpetrated by Anglo Platinum and its police assistants. Today, as community members of Magobading, Selane, and Phasha were dispersing after their protest at Anglo Platinum’s Twickenham Mine, police from Mecklenburg Police Station in Moroke began beating them. They have arrested approximately 15 people, including the Chairperson of the Magobading Crisis Committee, Jerry Tshehlakgolo, who confirmed they are covered in blood. They have asked the police for medical attention for the injured, but the inspector said they would talk about that later and they still have not received any medical attention.
This brutality is not an isolated incident, but a pattern of abuses that should not be tolerated by any South African. These beatings and arrests come after arrests in December of 4 community leaders in the Mapela area, north of Mokopane. These 4 leaders are key organizers in defending the communities’ rights against the violence and brutality of Anglo Platinum and its PPL mine. They were arrested while ploughing their fields, and their bail conditions are reminiscent of apartheid banning orders – they are not allowed to go back to these ploughing fields. In June 2006, Anglo Platinum sent the police from Mecklenburg Police Station in Moroke who beat and shot at community members in Maandagshoek with both live and rubber bullets – at least 15 people were injured, including a baby. These community members were simply demonstrating and protecting their land from further expansion by the Modikwa Mine – a joint venture of Anglo Platinum and African Rainbow Minerals. These police arrested 2 traditional leaders, Kgoshi Isaac Kgoete and Kgoshigadi Joyce Kgoete and several other community leaders, including Emmanuel Makgoga who coordinates the efforts of communities fighting for their rights in the Tubatse Municipality area.
This type of brutality and targeting of community leaders reminds us of the days of apartheid, with gross human rights violations and the undermining of freedom of speech and assembly. Arresting community leaders is a planned strategy to demoralise and demobilise communities who dare to speak the truth about Anglo Platinum’s disregard for the communities whose land it uses for mining.
Jubilee SA is in the process of working with other human rights organisations to launch investigations into these abuses. Should South Africans be expected to sit down and shut up in places like Magobading, where people were relocated so that Anglo Platinum could mine for its billions of rands in profits each year? Should they sit down and shut up when they have no water, when there are maggots in their toilets, when young girls have to walk 30 minutes up and down muddy embankments to fetch water, where grannies who head households have to bail out buckets of water from their kitchens from flooding? This situation must be addressed, and it must be addressed now. We cannot allow our grandmothers, grandfathers, brothers and sisters, and children to live like this – and on their own platinum-rich land.
In reaction to today’s brutality, Emmanuel Makgoga stated, “We need a better life for all. Our land is taken by the mines, the people are not ploughing and there are no jobs for us. This better life is for a minority of South Africans, not for all of us. The police are still beating the people at this time in the country of democracy. We experienced beatings during apartheid as did our parents. No one should be allowed to beat anyone else. Where are we going as South Africans?”
The community’s attorney Richard Spoor said these events exemplify the “ruthless exploitation, brutality, and racism” of Anglo Platinum. He further says that, “Police Commissioner Chuene is notorious for his aggressive and violent oppression of popular protest and his enthusiasm and willingness to act on Anglo Platinum’s behalf.”
For more information, please contact Emmanuel Makgoga (Maandagshoek) 082 343 5095, Anne Mayher (Jubilee South Africa) 082 398 6882 akmayher@hotmail.com, or Brand Nthako (Jubilee South Africa) 082 628 1362.