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The Press Coverage of the August 2012 Marikana Shootings

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The Press Coverage of the August 2012 Marikana Shootings The press coverage of the August 2012 Marikana Shootings by Clive Emdon A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Journalism JOUR 5909 Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario © 2015. Press Coverage of Marikana MJ Thesis Clive Emdon Abstract In August 2012 the South African police shot and killed 34 striking miners, and injured 78 at the Lonmin platinum mine at Marikana. This news event was such that it had the potential to force a change in government, as well as to impact labour employment and production in the mining industry. As a complex event, Marikana was chosen to analyse the press at work. This thesis has focused on four main narratives from the media coverage: firstly, the economic narrative; secondly, the narrative about the carrying of tribal weapons and practices used by the striking miners; thirdly, the accounts of the shootings; and fourthly, the fall-out within the unions. The main findings reflect a lack of in-depth reporting and analysis of the mining economy and its labour; and the failure of the press to adequately narrate the impact of the police shootings on the three partners in government. 2 Press Coverage of Marikana MJ Thesis Clive Emdon Acronyms AMCU Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union ANC African Nation al Congress BRICS Nations: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa CCMA Government Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration Cosatu Congress of South African Trade Unions Fedusa Federation of Unions of SA GEAR Growth, Employment and Reconstruction GCIS Government Communication and Information System Nactu National Council of Trade Unions NPA National Prosecuting Authority NUM National Union of Mineworkers Numsa National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa RDO Rock-drill operator RDP Reconstruction and Development Programm SABC South African Broadcasting Corporation SACP South African Communist Party SAPA South African Press Association SAPS South African Police Services 3 Press Coverage of Marikana MJ Thesis Clive Emdon TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ....................................................................................................................... 2 Acronyms ..................................................................................................................... 3 Table of Content .............................................................................................................. 4 CHAPTER 1: Introduction ............................................................................................... 9 a) Journalism's use of narrative ................................................................................. 11 b) 5 Ws and an H ....................................................................................................... 11 c) First narrative, the economy .................................................................................. 11 d) Second narrative, human interest .......................................................................... 12 e) Third narrative, the violence .................................................................................. 13 f) Fourth narrative, the unions .................................................................................... 14 g) Media analysis ....................................................................................................... 15 h) Four main images .................................................................................................. 17 i) Photograph 1: from Miners Shot Down ............................................................... 17 ii) Photograph 2: Striking miners brandish their weapons on the day 34 were shot and killed by the police ........................................................................................... 17 iii) Photograph 3: Book Cover of “We are going to kill each other today: The Markikana Story” by Jika, T et al ............................................................................ 18 vi) Photograph 4. Shootings as seen from behind the police lines ......................... 18 v) Photograph 5: Police shooting at workers .......................................................... 18 vi) Photograph 6: Heavily armed police pointing guns at dying strikers ................. 19 4 Press Coverage of Marikana MJ Thesis Clive Emdon vii) Photograph 7: Police stand over the bodies of dead and dying miners ............ 19 e) Timeline ................................................................................................................. 19 CHAPTER 2: Platinum Mining and the Economy – the Challenges of Transformation 23 a) The platinum industry ............................................................................................ 24 b) Migrant Labour ...................................................................................................... 27 c) Peri-urban poverty and poor housing ..................................................................... 29 d) Loss of bargaining power ...................................................................................... 36 e) Slow transformation of the mining sector ............................................................... 40 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 43 CHAPTER 3 : The Strikers, and their Weapons and 'Muti' Culture ............................... 45 a) The transformation of the rural man to an urban mine worker: the narrative of Mambush. .................................................................................................................. 46 b) The culture of carrying tribal weapons. .................................................................. 51 c) Secret rituals of the medicine man. ........................................................................ 56 d) The cleansing ceremony ....................................................................................... 58 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 59 CHAPTER 4: The violent build-up to "D-Day" .............................................................. 60 a) Brutality, fear and revenge .................................................................................... 62 (viii) Photograph 8: Anti-mine armoured vehicles used by Police at Marikana ....... 63 b) Lonmin's role ......................................................................................................... 65 c) Internecine battle between NUM and AMCU. ........................................................ 67 5 Press Coverage of Marikana MJ Thesis Clive Emdon d) Collusion between government, Lonmin and the police. ....................................... 70 ix) Photograph 9: Strikers armed with traditional weaponse) The build-up to the shootings ................................................................................................................ 70 x) Photograph 10: Mambush leading the strikers carrying pangas ........................ 71 f) 'D-Day' 16 Aug. 2012 .............................................................................................. 72 xi) Photograph 11: The shootings at scene 1 ........................................................ 74 xii) Photograph 12: Police weapons drawn over dying bodies .............................. 74 xiii) Photograph 13: Greg Marinovich ..................................................................... 76 g) The Police case ..................................................................................................... 79 h) Findings of the Farlam Commission ...................................................................... 80 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 87 CHAPTER 5: MARIKANA AND THE NEW POLITICS OF LABOUR ............................. 89 a) Cosatu in crisis: loses its dominance ..................................................................... 90 b) The rise of the Black middle class and the dynamics of labour ............................. 92 d) 'Numsa's Moment' -- the break with the ANC and other fall-out ............................ 94 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 100 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................ 101 Appendix 1: ................................................................................................................. 111 The Star Front Page on 17 August 2012 .............................................................. 111 Appendix 2: Table 1 .................................................................................................... 112 6 Press Coverage of Marikana MJ Thesis Clive Emdon Average Salaries of Miners - Source, International Labour Organisation and the Human Sciences Research Council, Johannesburg+ .......................................... 112 PRESS RESOURCES & BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................. 116 1. South African Press Resources ........................................................................... 116 SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation) ................................................. 116 Beeld ...................................................................................................................
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