Tokolos’ massive MarikanaDay action at UCT
Greetings from the Tokolos Stencil Collective
#RememberMarikana this 16th of August 2015
This weekend a tokolos went along the N2 Freeway to remind drivers of MarikanaDay, the 16th of August. Our work has been seen by thousands of people who use the N2 Freeway each day. We hope more people will get to see our work before it is inevitably taken down by the City of Cape Town’s anti-art unit.
Over the past few months, we have been inspired by the persistent struggle of the #RhodesMustFall movement at UCT. We did our research and found out a few little known facts about UCT’s link to the Marikana Massacre:
1. Judge Farlam is on the UCT Council.
2. UCT has been investing in Lonmin for several years since the massacre.
3. UCT therefore has blood on its hands.
4. Therefore Farlam has a conflict of interest.
The Tokolos collective would like to remind UCT , the ivory tower, that it has blood on its hands.
It has come to our attention through the public financial records of the University of Cape Town, that investments in the order of millions of Rands have been made to by Lonmin’s shares on the London Stock Exchange - adding to the long list of shareholders who have blood on their hands.
Why is UCT investing in a company that is complicit in the massacre of 34 poor black workers?
Why is UCT investing in a company that exploits its own workers?
For this we cannot let UCT go amiss.
Since Judge Ian Farlam himself sits on the university council and has supported UCT’s investments in Lonmin, does this not mean that there is a serious conflict of interest?
How can Farlam then head the Marikana Commission? The fact that UCT and Farlam are investing in Lonmin knowing full well the company’s complicity in the massacre means they both both have blood on their hands. This cannot be more clear.
UCT you are not an Island. Even though we have not been fortunate enough to attend your #1 ranked university, your actions still affect us and you cannot hide from us.
We trust that this time UCT will #RememberMarikana
And we ask: What is the Max Price for black lives?
Aluta Continua,
The Tokolos Stencil Collective