ZIMBABWE March 9th 2016
During 30 years Mugabe sold out the diamond business to the imperialist TNCS. After the pillage…
Now Mugabe takes the payment
Nationalization without payment and under worker control of the entire mining, banks and transnational companies in Zimbawe!
ENOUGH OF MUGABE!
STOP STARVING AND PLUNDERING THE PEOPLE!
On Monday 29/03/2016 the Minister of Mines called in the CEO’s of all
six companies mining diamonds at Marange. While he was speaking to
them, the Police moved in on site and ordered the staff of all the
companies to down tools and leave. Hundreds of millions of dollars of
equipment was left abandoned, offices and warehouses unattended and
the response by the local community and disgruntled workers was
immediate – they swarmed all over the site, started digging for
diamonds themselves and looted everything in sight.
On Thursday the Mugabe announced that the State was “nationalizing”
all diamond mining activity.
Diamonds in Marange area near city Mutare in Manicaland province was
discovered by De Beers –the largest diamond mining and marketing
company in the world who sat on the discovery for nearly 2 decades
before they allowed their claims to lapse in 2006. The claims were
immediately taken over by a small London based company – African
Consolidated Resources (ACR) who then commenced trenching and in 6
weeks discovered what De Beers had been sitting on for many years –
large numbers of diamonds in alluvial sands surrounding a ridge of
hard agglomerate which contained the bulk of the diamonds and was
gradually releasing them into surrounding sands. Under the rules of
the London stock market they published the discovery and this notice
came to the attention of the Ministry of Mines in Harare who
immediately took steps to cancel the rights of ACR and allow small
scale miners (eventually an estimated 40 000) to occupy the site and
start shallow mining.
In 2008 the State killed over 200 miners and Six companies were then
granted licenses to start mining. All were associated in one way or
another with State security agencies and the State controlled Zimbabwe
Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) who nominally held half of the
equity in each operation but with little or no real control and
influence.
The largest operation was Anjin – a company granted a license
personally by Mugabe and controlled by the Red Army of China.
The second largest operation was Mbada controlled by close associates
of Mugabe and other criminal elements in South Africa.
A third was effectively controlled by the Minister of Mines in the
form of Marange Resources.
The question all of us are asking is why now?
The only explanation it is clear Mugabe is moving to take full control
over the diamond fields now that the flow of diamonds has drastically
declined. The Minister of Mines is a nephew and Mugabe is probably
concerned about funds reaching elements in the regime, both
politically and security connected, who are in the growing camps of
those who want him to retire and make way for a successor.
It is necessary to prepare a huge struggle for all the miners of
Southern Africa! For the return of the rank and file assemblies,
pickets, and the striking committee in all the mines!
Nationalize and expropriate without compensation all the mines and
companies that plunder our nation, and let's put them produce under
worker's control!
Expropriation without compensation and place it under workers control!
Expropriation without compensation of the banks and place them under
workers control! There is where the money will come in order to build
our houses, sewers, hospitals and give a free quality education for
our children and cheap credits on the petty producers of the farms and
cities.
We have to prepare a huge fight.
We, workers must prepare to a huge struggle against the mining TNCs!
If there is a capitalists ‘crisis, that they pay for it! They have
made and keep making a fortune no matter the minerals’ prices go up or
down. Enough is enough! The gold workers that today are in salary
negotiations, and all the miners in the region must retake the war cry
of the Marikana miners during 2012 strikes.
Let`s set up a national fighting committee of all the miners that take
in our hands to organize a huge struggle and be at the head of the
negotiations for wages and best labour conditions.
We are a single class, a single power and nation: the Black nation,
the Bantu nation that only will be able to emerge again in the history
by setting up a Federation of Worker and Peasant Republics of the
entire Southern Africa!
The Transnational Mining Companies get enormous fortunes with the
blood and slavery of workers in Africa We want decent jobs, houses,
education and future for our children! We fight for all, because
everything belongs to us!
Nationalize all the mines of Southern Africa and place them under
workers control!
Workers International League of Zimbabwe-FLTI
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