Govt accused of ‘lack of accountability’ as SA marks 11 years since Marikana massacre

Police gunned down 34 striking mineworkers at the Lonmin platinum mine outside Rustenburg on August 16, 2012.

In total, 44 lives were lost during the six-week-long labour dispute.

On 9 August 2012, about 3, 000 miners embarked on an unprotected strike at Lonmin mines in Wonderkop, demanding a living wage of R12,500.

Following a week of murderous attacks in which two officers, two security guards, and six mineworkers were killed – on 16 August 2012 police opened fire on the striking workers, killing 34 of them.

The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) will be hosting a commemorative event on Wednesday, where the union’s president Joseph Mathunjwa is expected to deliver a keynote address.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International South Africa has criticised the government for lack of prosecution.

Executive Director Shenilla Mohamed said lack of accountability for victims and their families is a recurring theme in South Africa. 

"We need to demand answers as to why it is taking 11 years in the case of the Marikana massacre for there to be any prosecutions, and ultimately accountability for the brutal loss of life.”

Mohamed said they have written to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the North West to demand answers to the lack of prosecutions.

"IPID told Amnesty International South Africa that in relation to the shooting on 16 August at what is known as Scene 1 and 2, the role of every single member of the police that was deployed in Marikana on the date in question was being investigated.

“IPID said these were more or less 600 police officers. It said the cases had now been transferred to the North West Director of Public Prosecutions for further handling.

“The NPA has not responded to Amnesty International South Africa’s questions as to why no one had been prosecuted to date," noted Mohamed.

She added: “We made it clear to IPID and the NPA that waiting 11 years for accountability was unacceptable.  The excuse that investigations were stopped until 2016, is also not a good enough excuse, it still means that there have been seven years with no prosecutions and no accountability,” 

The Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI) also criticised the government for a lack of accountability.

The institute's Thato Masiangoako said neither former president Jacob Zuma nor President Cyril Ramaphosa has ever visited the families to apologise.

"In February 2018 (during the State of the Nation address) and in April 2018 (at the funeral of Winnie Mandela), President Cyril Ramaphosa repeated a promise he made to visit the widows and families and to apologise to them, however, that is yet to take place.

“Instead, the State has denied that the families are legally entitled to the apology and dragged its feet in terms of compensatory redress, by having only settled on one of the five areas for compensation – loss of support, and accountability while at the same time, the state has shouldered the cost of the legal defence of police officers standing trial, at times affording individuals separate legal teams," said Masiangoako.

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