Our companies are laws unto themselves

We’re quick to target petty offenders whilst our mega companies continue to get away with murder

By Madibeng Kgwete: posted on 05 October 2007

The accident at Harmony Gold’s Erlandsrand Mine that saw over 3000 mine workers trapped under the surface has once again brought the subject of workplace safety to the fore of public debate.

Our company executives often list crime as one of the impediments to doing business comfortably in South Africa. Some of them have gone as far as attempting to launch publicity stunts to get government’s attention to the crime problem.

Remember the First National Bank (FNB) and its botched campaign aimed at flooding the office of the president with anti-crime letters from Sunday Times readers?

Campaigns against the high levels of crime in South Africa are unquestionably justified, considering the insecurity that we feel with violent criminals roaming the streets. Nobody disputes the danger that we all are due to the high levels of crime in our country.

However, the high levels of deaths and serious injuries that people suffer due to unsafe working environments such as mines often go unnoticed; and, even if noticed, the culprits (firm owners and chief executives) seem immune from any form of legal action.

We are very quick to demand justice when those endangering our lives are poor individual criminals or small township gangs. The big corporations, which do not comply with safety requirements at their workplaces, continue to get away with murder.

It’s as if our legal system was introduced specifically to shield grand offenders from the smaller and financially inferior citizens. The corporations (and not the people) shall rule!