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Jacob Zuma

President Jacob Zuma had “misrepresented” the Farlam Commission report by claiming that the former police minister, Nathi Mthethwa, had played no role in decisions leading to the Marikana massacre. In fact, the report had an “open finding” relating to Mthethwa, said crime and policing research expert David Bruce.

“It’s not true to say that Mthethwa played no role. The Farlam report has not let him off the hook. What it does say is that the evidence isn’t available.”

In his summary of the Farlam report, Zuma said the commission had found “that the executive played no role in the decision of the police to implement the tactical option” if the strikers did not lay down their arms. This decision is what led to the deaths of 34 people on August 16, 2012.

But in the section on the former police minister, the Commission concludes that it was “unable … to find positively in Minister Mthethwa’s favour”.

It finds that Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega had been “distinctly evasive and unhelpful” during attempts to get her to answer questions about the role the Minister played.

The logical inference from this was that she was doing so to protect the minister, said Bruce.

According to the report, evidence leaders also made “energetic but unsuccessful efforts” to obtain the original audio recording – on a memory stick – of what was said at the extraordinary National Management Forum meeting on August 15. — Sapa