Flawed police plan blamed for Marikana massacre Jacob Zuma

JOHANNESBURG — The police operation that led to the deaths of at least 34 striking miners in the mining town of Marikana in 2012 was tactically defective, a Commission of Inquiry into the killings has found.

Releasing the commission’s report to the public on Thursday night, South African President Jacob Zuma said: “The commission found that the police operation shouldn’t have taken place because of the defects in the [tactical] plan.”

The commission, which was chaired by retired judge Ian Farlam, and appointed by the presidency in August 2012 to investigate the events in Marikana that left 44 people dead during a protracted wage strike, “found that it would’ve been impossible to disarm and disperse the strikers without significant bloodshed”.

The president said that the commission also found the allegations against Cyril Ramaphosa, now deputy president of the country, for being responsible for the massacre to be “groundless”.

He said that the police attempt to disarm strikers was almost certainly going to result in “significant bloodshed” and that officials should have waited till the next day to pursue their operation to end the strike action.

The report was originally submitted to the presidency in March 2015, but Zuma said his office needed time to study the findings before releasing it to the public

For activists like Trevor Ngwane, from Social Science Research Institute at the University of Johannesburg, the delay was an impediment to justice.

“Since the commission was set up, no police has been charged, it was delayed tactics. The commission was set up to delay the process,” Ngwane said.

“People who are responsible need to be charged. Those who did it and those who provided the order — need to be charged. We’re hoping the report clarifies those issues of culpability.”

Isaac Mangena, from the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), said that it was only a matter of time until the report was going to be released and that the commission would be studying the report in detail.

Zuma has been under immense pressure since the report was submitted to him in March, with activists and opposition parties criticising his administration for not releasing the findings of the report. He had initially promised that the report would be released within a month.

But South Africans have been sceptical about the report. South Africa has seen a surge in police brutality and many activists feel that though Marikana turned the spotlight on the police, little will change. On Thursday, Zuma said the commission recommended a full investigation into the police officers involved.

Among those pointed to for fuelling the tragedy was the mining company Lonmin, which was also criticised for failing to engage workers on their wage demands. Senior police officials, including the former police minister Nathi Mthethwa and national police commissioner Riah Phiyega — who have been widely criticised for their role — were left unscathed by the findings of the report.

Meanwhile, Zuma sought to explain yesterday why he did not give the Marikana miners and their families 48 hours’ notice before he released the Marikana report. He did not want to delay the release of the report even further, according to a statement issued by the presidency.

His director-general said they were aware of Judge Neil Tuchten’s recommendation that he should give two days’ notice before releasing retired judge Ian Farlam’s report on the commission of inquiry into the deaths of 44 people during a strike on the platinum belt in the North West town of Rustenburg in August 2012.

“The Presidency is aware of Honourable Judge Neil Tuchten’s recommendation as well as that of the Socio-Economic Rights Institute to give a notice of two days before the Report is released,” said Director-General of the Presidency Dr Cassius Lubisi.

“The President had finalised the consideration of the Report and he is of the view that he didn’t want to further delay its release given the recent urgent application and the various requests for the Report to be released.

“In addition, the majority of the applicants in court wanted the Report to be released immediately. Waiting two days after completing his process for the sake of a few would be unfair to the majority in the country who wanted it to be released immediately.”

Zuma released the report on national television on Thursday evening, saying it recommended a probe into national police commissioner Riah Phiyega’s fitness to hold office. — Sapa

You Might Also Like

Comments