Abahlali mourns the George building disaster

The tragedy of the building that collapsed on the workers in George is one more sign that the working class are always at risk as a result of capitalism.

The working class are most often at the receiving end when disasters of this nature take place. So far there are 14 people who have been confirmed dead and many more people are still trapped in the rubble, including an 18 year old migrant worker.

This is as a result of both capitalist profiteering that is only concerned about profit and not the lives of workers and the failure by the state to properly regulate the construction industry in terms of safety standards.

We send our deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones and continue to pray for those who have been trapped under the rubble for more than four days. They are our sisters and brothers, our mothers and fathers, our children. Their lives are as important as the lives of every other human being in our country.

We know that in the eyes of a profiteering capitalist firm the workers who have lost their lives and spent days trapped under rubble are seen as objects to be exploited to make more money, even at risk of their lives. All the cites in the world were built by workers. Some workers have given their lives to build these cities, or suffered from accidents at work. Many workers have retired poor after a lifetime of work. Often workers cannot live in the cities they have built because it is very expensive to live in the cities. In many countries the same workers who build the cities do domestic and security work for the rich while continuing to live in shacks.

To be poor means that your life is always at risk whether from shack fires and floods, to violence of different kinds or accidents at work. From the Marikana Massacre to the many lives lost to neglect and abuse in the Life Esidemeni outrage to the Marshalltown fire to the less well known everyday deaths from shack fires, violent policing and accidents at work it is clear that the lives of the poor are not taken seriously.

We send our deepest solidarity to those who have lost their loved ones in George and to those who are still waiting to get news of their loved ones. We continue to pray for those who are still trapped under the rubble.

We will not be free until every person’s life is taken seriously and everyone is kept safe at home, on the roads, at school and at work. We really do need to build a caring society in which every person’s life matters.