Blood money? Shock revelations and media half truths on South African mine violence

Last month, violence erupted at a South African platinum mine when at least 13 men were wounded by security guards who fired rubber bullets and hacked at workers with machetes, allegedly to end a confrontation between two rival unions.

Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) is the world´s largest platinum producer, located in the Rustenburg area 70 miles from Johannesburg. The corporation accounts for over 80% of global platinum production and has been at the centre of clashes between security forces and miners since workers went on strike in mid-January over Amplat´s announcement to cut 14,000 jobs and sell union mines, in a bid to save $4.2bn.

It´s not the first time bloody protests have put South Africa´s mining sector in the spotlight. In August last year a mine owned by Lonmin Plc in Marikana, also in the Rustenburg region, was the scene of the worst violence the country has seen since the end of apartheid. On August 10, three thousand workers walked out after Lonmin´s management refused to negotiate over pay. The first incidents of violence were reported to have started the following day, when National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) leaders opened fire on striking miners. In the next three days, another eight workers, two police and two security guards were killed. On August 16, which marked the 25th anniversary of a nationwide South African miner´s strike, riot police arrived to disperse the miners. This culminated in the death of over 50 people, including 34 striking miners shot dead by police. A further 78 were injured. The incident, dubbed the Marikana massacre, was the single most lethal use of force by South African security forces against civilians since 1960.

But despite this, corporate media again blamed the bloodshed on rivalry between the NUM and its rival, the Association of Mineworkers & Construction Union (AMCU).

This ongoing vicious struggle, which has seen the two battling it out for membership and control over union offices, was no doubt instrumental in the tragic events at both Lonmin and Amplats. But there´s a much bigger story that is being overlooked by focusing on a fight between two groups of underpaid, desperate miners. It´s the story of multinational corporations exploiting human beings for the sake of profit. It´s a story which hints at possible connections between the mining industry and the police sent to kill those who dare to demand fair pay and safe working conditions. And it´s the story of mainstream media, for the most part, covering up and misreporting these injustices.

Capitalismo Mafioso? You decide.

Rio+20 summit: Ecocidal, shameful and downright criminal

In the years to come- assuming our species survives the inevitable fallout- the epic failure of last week’s crucial Rio+20 summit may well go down in history as the worst crime against the natural world mankind has ever committed.

The UN conference on sustainable development, held in Rio de Janeiro, had the catchy slogan ‘The future we want.’ It supposedly had the aim of drawing up tough new measures on clean air and water, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, green transport and economy, deforestation and protection of marine life, as well as tackling the vitally important human issues of famine, poverty and desertification in developing nations.

Change-a-lujah people! Joining Rev Billy on his Shopocalypse Tour

Reverend Billy of the ´church of life after shopping´takes the evil from a cash register in Tesco, Liverpool

It’s a perfectly ordinary day in a Liverpool city centre branch of Tesco. Customers clutching lunchtime snacks queue patiently in silence. Bored-looking cashiers scan sandwiches and salads on autopilot, daydreaming of clocking off and enjoying the sunshine outside.

Suddenly, the store fills up with men and women wearing long green robes, making low humming noises as they weave in and out of the aisles. The humming grows louder, and the expressionless troupe begin to clap- softly at first, before raising the volume and tempo. One woman starts to sing in a beautiful and sorrowful voice: ‘Shopping in Tesco- it hurts the people, hurts the ’hood.’

Her associates join in the chorus and approach the tills, where the queue has become  significantly shorter as customers abandon their baskets and edge towards the exit. Two young cashiers exchange bemused glances and giggle nervously while their manager frantically calls security.

In bursts a Kurt Russell lookalike wearing a beige polyester suit and dog collar. His blonde hair is swept back into an enormous quiff and he’s carrying a megaphone. At first glance, he looks like any other Evangelical man of the cloth. But this is Reverend Billy, head of the Church of Life After Shopping, and he’s a man on a very different mission.

Consumed by doubt: why don´t we buy fair trade?

Consumer choice shapes the lives of farmers in developing countries

You’d have to be living under a rock to have never heard of Starbucks, McDonalds, Gap or Nestle, but it’s less common to hear about how and where their products are made. To mark World Fair Trade Day, Sophie McAdam looks at the effects of globalisation on workers in developing countries, and asks ultimately: Does anyone care about ethical consumerism?

The Shopocalypse is coming!!! Introducing Reverend Billy

You´ve never seen anything like him….

He was brought up by religious conservatives before running away in his teens and going on to set up the anti-corporate Church of Stop Shopping. He is hated by America’s biggest multinationals, and Starbucks had him jailed after he ‘exorcised’ one too many of their cash registers. Sophie McAdam finds out what drives the man otherwise known as Reverend Billy.

When I call, Talen is writing a column for The Ecologist on climate change. He tells me his message is ‘shrill and apocalyptic’, and that this article is unusual. ‘For once, I’m reporting, I’m not screaming with all kinds of capital letters,’ he jokes.

And scream he can. Anyone who attends his monthly services at St Marks Church, New York City, will testify to that. A fit and healthy 56 year old, Talen is six foot, with a platinum blonde bouffant hairstyle, white suit and dog collar. At first glance, he looks like any other Christian preacher. But once the sermons begin, it becomes apparent very quickly where the differences lie.