In August 2012, the South African Police Service opened fire on miners who had gone on a wildcat strike to demand higher wages at the Marikana platinum mine owned by the Lonmin Corporation in the North West province.Thirty-four miners were killed and many more were injured during the shooting.The Marikana incident drew huge attention from local as well as international media.I t was reported as an incident of suppression by the African National Congress (ANC) government which could be compared to that of the apartheid government.After this incident, the strike by the miners spread to other mines, and several mines were forced to temporarily halt their operations 1 .The violent strike action also spread to other occupations, most notably among the truck drivers in Gauteng and farm-workers in the Western Cape, some of which have continued into 2013 2 .The Marikana incident, though undoubtedly catastrophic and unparalleled with regards to the number of casualties and police action, should not be seen as an isolated event.Wage struggles by striking workers are almost annual events in South Africa.In spite of some progress in the provision of public services, such as water and sanitation, electrification, and the construction of public housing for the poor since 1994 (Statistics South Africa 2007), the ANC government has not been able to meet the expectations of
Sato Chizuko (Tue,) studied this question.