By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Today (16 August) marks 11 years since the Marikana Massacre at the Lonmin Platinum mine outside Rustenburg in the North West.
The tragedy in 2012 saw over 34 striking mine workers shot and killed by police.
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.
This was the most lethal use of force by the South African police since the 1976 Soweto uprising against the then apartheid regime. At least 138 people died in three days.
In fact, the Marikana massacre was so brutal that it has been likened to the 1960 Sharpville Massacre, where apartheid police shot unarmed civilians in their backs as they fled, killing 69. They were protesting against identity document that black people were forced to carry, restricting their movement.
Amnesty International South Africa Executive Director Shenilla Mohamed says 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.
The ANC meanwhile condemns the use of the Marikana tragedy as a political tool. Insensitive and opportunistic populism and deliberate peddling of misinformation about the tragedy and its aftermath is regrettable,” spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said.
“It is done at the expense of healing and national unity in a desperate attempt to gain political mileage.”
She said the ANC joins millions of South Africans in remembrance of the events of August 12 to 16 2012.
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.