Marikana commission continues

The Farlam Commission of Inquiry is expected to continue hearing evidence on Friday from an operational commander at Marikana.

 

On Thursday, Brigadier Adriaan Calitz defended the police's intervention plan to curb the labour unrest at Lonmin mine in August last year.

 

Evidence leaders' head Geoff Budlender SC submitted that the operation was faulty, and that for close to an hour Calitz did not know his charges had shot dead protesters on August 16 last year.

 

Budlender said Calitz was either lying to the commission about his alleged "ignorance" regarding the shootings, or that his ignorance exposed fundamental failure in the execution of the intervention plan.

 

The commission is investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths of 44 people during strike-related unrest at Lonmin's platinum mining operations at Marikana, near Rustenberg, in North West, last year. 

 

On August 16, 2012, 34 people, mostly striking miners, were shot dead and 78 were wounded when police fired on a group gathered at a hill near the mine while attempting to disperse and disarm them.

 

In the preceding week, 10 people, including two policemen and two security guards, were killed.

 

-Sapa