Saturday, September 15, 2012

Blog 3: South Africa Warns Against Violence as Protests Fester

Africa as a continent has consistently faced problems of inequality for over 200 years. This is especially true for the country of South Africa. South Africa fought colonialism and apartheid up until 1994. These institutions brought with them massive amounts of inequalities between both the rich and the poor but also between ethnic groups. Recently, however, there has been struggles for wage increases between mine workers and the owners of mines. The individuals who are striking are tired of joblessness, deepening inequality and persistent poverty. The majority mines are controlled by foreign based companies or elite whites or blacks. With such a history of struggle and strife in the country, it is no surprise that strikes are becoming increasingly violent. The government is starting to take action but they are doing nothing to improve  the workers situations. Instead they are supporting the elites and foreign businesses.
It is disheartening to see a government taking action but not supporting the ones who are being oppressed. The strikes seem to be worsening but hopefully the workers will receive the requests that they have asked for and it can be resolved peacefully. The government needs to step in and take an active role in being a mediator instead of being in the pockets of international foreign businesses and rich elites. On top of siding with the workers the government also needs to address the other issues that affect the people in their country such as joblessness, inequality and persistent poverty. South Africa can no longer afford to have these consistent problems. They need to be addressed so that they can develop and prosper as a nation.

Eric Spriegel
Sept 15 2012 : 3:22 pm

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