Johannesburg - Firebrand politician Julius
Malema on Wednesday made a fresh call for the nationalisation of strife-hit
mines as strikes spread to the world's top platinum producer.
"We are calling for mining change in South Africa. We
want the mines nationalised. We want the workers paid a living wage... and
somebody has to listen," he told Radio Talk Radio 702.
"But maybe this call has been ridiculed... by the
authorities and mining bosses," Malema said.
"Now we want to show them that we mean business. We are
going to be engaging in very peaceful yet radical and militant action that will
hit straight into the pockets of white monopoly capital."
Malema, who was convicted of hate speech and expelled from
the ruling ANC party for ill discipline earlier this year, has used the miners'
discontent to launch fresh attacks on President Jacob Zuma and his government.
Malema has toured mining sites to fire up support for
broader strikes to demand a basic salary of R12 500 - a threefold increase on
the industry average.
His actions have sent jitters across a sector that accounts
for a fifth of South African gross domestic product and is a mainstay of Africa's leading economy.
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