Strikes Threaten Schools in South Africa

September 21, 2012 from Al Jazeera English

Industrial action is spreading in South Africa, with nationwide protests and labor strikes showing no sign of ending soon. Production in the mining sector has already been affected as a result of the widespread protests, and demonstrations have spread to include construction workers and teachers. In the Northern Cape province, some school children have missed about five months of classes because many teachers are on strike, and those who are not stay away out of fear and intimidation. Julius Malema , the expelled leader of the ruling African National Congress' Youth League (ANCYL), has also been accused of inciting the poor and working class to protest. Many South Africans say the ANC has not done enough for the poor since the end of white minority rule in 1994. Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa reports from Kathu in the Northern Cape.

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Julius Malema

Julius Sello Malema is a South African politician, and the former president of the African National Congress Youth League. Malema occupies a notably controversial position in South African public and political life; having risen to prominence with his support for African Natio... Explore this topic

Strike

Strike action, also called labor strike, on strike, greve, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the Industrial Revolution, when mas... Explore this topic

Marikana miners' strike

The Marikana miners' strike or Lonmin strike was a wildcat strike at a mine owned by Lonmin in the Marikana area, close to Rustenburg, South Africa in 2012. The event garnered international attention following a series of violent incidents between the South African Police Serv... Explore this topic

African National Congress (ANC)

The African National Congress is South Africa's governing political party, supported by its Tripartite Alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party, since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itse... Explore this topic

Kathu

Kathu is a town in South Africa, and the iron ore capital of the Northern Cape province. Its name means "town under the trees", after the Camel Thorn forest it is situated in. The phrase "the town under the trees" was coined by an engineer working in the town in the early 1990... Explore this topic

South Africa

South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of Africa. It is divided into nine provinces and has 2,798 kilometres of coastline. To the north lie the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe; to the east are Mo... Explore this topic

South Africa under apartheid

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Northern Cape

The Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of an international park shared with Botswana. It a... Explore this topic

Dominant minority

A dominant minority, also known as alien elites and minority majority if they are recent immigrants, is a group that has overwhelming political, economic or cultural dominance in a country or region despite representing a small fraction of the overall population. The term is m... Explore this topic

Al Jazeera English

Al Jazeera English is an international 24-hour English-language news and current affairs TV channel headquartered in Doha, Qatar. It is the sister channel of the Arabic-language Al Jazeera. The station broadcasts news features and analysis, documentaries, live debates, current... Explore this topic

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Julius Malema

Strike

Marikana miners' strike

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