Press: Releases & Materials

The Speeches of the South African Delegation At the BASF-AGM, 12 MaY 2017 in Mannheim, Germany:

The speech of Mzoxolo Magidwana, a 29year old mine worker, who was severly injured on the 16. August 2012. In his speech he is asking for a life in dignity.
The speech of Joseph Mathunjwa, President of the AMCU.
The speech of Bishop Jo Seoka, chair of the Bench Marks Foundation.

Mzoxolo_BASF_AGM_12052017
Mzoxolo Magidwana at the BASF AGM, 12 May 2017, Rosengarten in Mannheim/Germany

Mathunjwa/AMCU: Speech: BASF AGM 2017, Manheim, Germany
The President of the AMCU, Joseph Mathunjwa at the BASF AGM, 12 May 2017, Rosengarten in Mannheim/Germany

Bischof Seoka: BASF AGM 2017
Bishop Jo Seoka at the BASF AGM, 12 May 2017, Rosengarten in Mannheim/Germany

The Marikana massacre, supply chain IRresponsibility, tax avoidance and the increased frequency of incidents with deadly results.

To draw a balance in the fifth year after the massacre of Marikana: Nothing has changed!  Workers, digging out the world’s most precious metal, are still living in slums. Up to now, no reparations were paid to the relatives of the killed and injured mine workers.
BASF is not taking its own oft-touted claim of a “responsibility along the supply chain” – lip services are to less and misleading. As a first sign of the implementation of its promises with regard to responsibility along the supply chain, BASF should set up a solidarity-fund with €0.5 million for each of the 44 people who died in August 2012 as well as support for the injured and give this money to the people directly affected (a total of €25 million). Compared to BASF purchases from LONMIN (€650 million in 2015), this is a small amount.
Read here the Countermotions from Dachverband der Kritischen Aktionärinnen und Aktionäre (Association of Ethical Shareholders Germany) for the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting of BASF SE on May 12, 2017

BASF, five years after the Marikana Massacre: Supply Chain Responsibility or Lip service?

South African Unionists, Miners and a Survivor of the massacre will be present at the BASF shareholders’ meeting.
Bread for the World, Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, KASA and the the Association of Ethical Shareholders Germany are holding a

Press Conference (Detailed Program)

Thursday, May 11, 2017 at 11am
Attac, Münchner Str. 48, Frankfurt/Main, Germany

Featuring Mzoxolo Magidiwana: Miner and survivor of the Marikana massacre, who was severely injured by 14 gunshots fired by the police.
Joseph Mathunjwa: President of the AMCU (Association of Mineworker and Construction Union), the largest union in the South African platinum belt.
Bishop Jo Seoka: Spiritual advisor to the Marikana miners and Chairman of the Bench Marks Foundation, which monitors Transnational Corporations.
Dumisani Nkalitshana: National Organiser of the AMCU.

see also:
TAX AVOIDANCE AND SUPPLY CHAIN IRRESPONSIBLITY: The BASF EXAMPLE
Evening event prior to the BASF shareholders meeting on
May 10, 2017 at 7:30 pm., Haus der Evangelischen Kirche, M1, 2 Mannheim

Nkaneng_retouch3click for print quality: Marikana Women’s League: Sikhala Sonke, February 2016, Marikana (© www.basflonmin.com)

further readings:
Plough Back the Fruits Newsletter 1/2017
Mission Statement of the PLOUGH BACK THE FRUITS campaign

004_plough_back_widowsWidows of Marikana, PLOUGH BACK THE FRUITS, Oil pastels & food colouring on paper, 150 x 280cm, February 2016

queries
John Capel, bench Marks Foundation: +27 11 832-1743/2 and +27 82 870 8861
Maren Grimm: +49 (0) 177 655 10 53, m.grimm@akbild.ac.at
Jakob Krameritsch: +43 (0) 699 1967 51 31, j.krameritsch@akbild.ac.at
Markus Dufner: +49 (0) 221 599 56 47, 0173 – 713 52 37, dachverband@kritischeaktionaere.de
for South Africa see also CONTACT.

2016

Press release on the BASF AGM, 29 April 2016:
BASF proves blind, deaf and aggressive towards the victims of Marikana

Speeches at the AGM of BASF, 29 April 2016:
Bishop Jo Seoka: Original Speech in English (as pdf)
Ntombizolile Mosebetsane and Agnes Makopano Thelejane: Original Speech in English (as pdf)
Maren Grimm and Jakob Krameritsch: Original Speech in German (as pdf)
See also the COUNTER MOTION of the Ethical Shareholder Germany.

ntombi_agnes_simonef.l.t.r: Ntombizolile Mosebetsane, Simone Knapp (KASA) und Agnes Makopano Thelejane

The Khulumani Support Group, Bench Marks Foundation, Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, Bread for the World, KASA, and the Ethical Shareholders Germany invite to a
PRESS CONFERENCE (see here the invitation as pdf)
Thursday, 28 April 2016, 11.00 am
Head Office of Attac Germany
Münchner Straße 48, 60329 Frankfurt/Main, Germany

Bishop Jo Seoka: representative of the Marikana mine workers & Bench Marks Foundation
Ntombizolile Mosebetsane & Agnes Makopano Thelejane: representative of relatives of the killed mine workers
Nomarussia Bonase & Judy Seidman: Khulumani Support Group

The South African delegation is touring Austria, Switzerland and Germany, to exhibit artwork and raise awareness of the on-going damage caused by the events at Marikana.  The delegation will conclude with a presentation at the AGM of BASF, Friday, 29 April 2016 in Mannheim, Germany.

 

queries
Dr. Jobson, Khulumani Support Group: +27 822680223
John Capel, bench Marks Foundation: +27 11 832-1743/2 and +27 82 870 8861
Maren Grimm: +49 (0) 177 655 10 53, m.grimm@akbild.ac.at
Jakob Krameritsch: +43 (0) 699 1967 51 31, j.krameritsch@akbild.ac.at
Markus Dufner: +49 (0) 221 599 56 47, 0173 – 713 52 37, dachverband@kritischeaktionaere.de
for South Africa see also CONTACT.

PRESS KIT for the exhibition PLOUGH BACK THE FRUITS as pdf.
with an abstract and a factsheet of the exhibition
and a welcome speech of NomaRussia Bonase, one of the curators

 

PRINTABLE PICTURES (click at the image to download)

Ntombizolile MosebetsaneNtombizolile Mosebetsane: Without Title. Oil pastels & food colouring on paper, 80 x 100cm, May 2013

 

002_Daniel LetebeleDaniel Letebele, Without Title. Oil pastels & food colouring on paper, 80 x 100cm, April 2013

 

001_Agnes Makopano ThelejaneAgnes Makopano Thelejane, Without Title. Oil pastels & food colouring on paper, 80 x 100cm, May 2013

 

005_viva_marikana_widowsWidows of Marikana, Freedom! Freedom! Viva the Spirit of the Marikana Widows, viva!
Oil pastels & food colouring on paper, 150 x 450cm, May 2014

for Press Archive 2015: see here.
Press releases will follow soon.