It encouraged non-striking workers to go to work, knowing that they faced the danger of being attacked by other miners.
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FILE PIC – epa03363285 South African police check the bodies of striking mineworkers shot dead at the Wonderkop informal settlement near Marikana platinum mine, Rustenburg, South Africa, 16 August 2012.
The president responded that police were forced to open fire on the protesting workers because the miners had been killing people. “We should use it to build a more united, peaceful and cohesive society”, he said. The “Marikana massacre” sparked intense public and media criticism toward the police, mining companies, unions, the ruling African National Congress and Zuma.
Ten people were also killed in the days leading up to the shooting including a mineworker, strikers, two Lonmin security guards and two policemen.
But as the number of strikers grew later in the day, they implemented a “tactical option” which resulted in the deaths of 34 strikers.
“The commission has found that it would have been impossible to disarm and disperse the strikers without significant bloodshed”.
Farlam called for the actions of all officers on the scene to be investigated for criminal liability.
“The IFP has always contended that national police commissioner, Riah Phiyega, was never fit to hold office as she did not have the requisite training and experience coming, as she did, from a civilian background”.
Chief among these is that a panel of local and global experts in public order policing investigate best practice in the use of non-lethal measures to deal with violent crowds.
Lastly, the commission criticized Lonmin’s labor policies and failure to address the dire housing situation at the mines.
However, President Zuma said the Commission found accusations of responsibility levelled at South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa were “groundless”.
“He had no reason to believe that the South African Police Services would launch the precipitate, ill-planned and poorly commanded operations”, the report said. “This is inconsistent with our constitutional and statutory regime which requires that policing be conducted in an impartial and unbiased manner”, the Commission found.
An inquiry – the Marikana Report – was set up in the aftermath of the shooting led by retired Judge Ian Farlam. Not even one of them is held responsible. Last month the miners who were injured and arrested during the massacre turned to the courts to force the president to release the report.
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