South Africa Then and Now
Still in the Grip of Capitalism-Imperialism
Suppression of Protest
January 13, 2013 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
THEN
For nearly 50 years in South Africa, until 1994, the apartheid system was in effect. A wealthy minority of white settlers held all political power and used it to rob the land, labor and resources of the country, enriching European and U.S. imperialism, while the great majority of black people were segregated, denied any human rights or respect, and lived in deep poverty. Any resistance to this setup was met with brutal repression. Shown here, in the township of Sharpeville in March 1960, police opened fire on a black protest, killing or wounding hundreds. This was the beginning of the movement that eventually brought down the apartheid system.
NOW
The fall of the apartheid system did not end the domination of capitalism-imperialism over the land and people of South Africa—the great majority of black people are still exploited, oppressed and powerless, and the role of the police is still to keep them that way. In 2012 major strikes broke out at platinum mines belonging to the British mining giant, Lonmin. On August 16, South African police attacked unarmed miners, killing 34 of them, including many executed at close range, and then attempted to charge the survivors with the deaths of their comrades.
Above: police move in on the men they have just killed.
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