| Summary/Abstract |
This article presents an historical overview of the occupation of rock drillers in South African mines. It is argued that the critical productive role this occupation plays in the underground production process must be central to understanding why the rock drill operators (RDOs) initiated a major strike wave on South African platinum mines in 2012, what transpired at Marikana in August of that year and the 2014 industry-wide strike. Long established as an elite within the mining industry, the RDOs negotiated directly with management over the past 30 years beyond the ambit of representational politics. However, the migrant labour status, deplorable living conditions and memories of past struggles intersect with the impact of their working conditions underground. This article suggests that the historically identifiable objective location of these workers in production serves as the material basis for their political subjectivity.
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