Govt remembers Marikana tragedy as it gets slammed for ‘lack of accountability’

Government joined South Africans in remembering the Marikana tragedy, which occurred on 16 August 2012.

“The pains that were felt by the workers, their families, government and the nation on that fatal day in 2012 is entrenched in the country’s  history and is a reminder of what must never happen again in South Africa,” the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) said in statement on Sunday.

The department noted that the Covid-19 pandemic had brought to the fore the high level of inequalities that still persists throughout in the country.

It also highlighted that challenges including poverty, unemployment and inequality needed to be bridged as government continues to strengthen its fight to address the challenges.

ALSO READ: Marikana massacre: Children of killed miners still waiting for justice to be served, eight years on

“The tragedy that befell South Africa in 2012, is an incident that should have never happened. Government is not immune from the pain that the nation still feels.

“The values that underpin our democracy such as respect for human rights and the right to life is of utmost importance and must always be adhered to.

“Government, business and social partners, and every individual must continue to work hard to weave strongly the vines that hold us together as a country. Never again must a tragedy of this magnitude be experienced in South Africa,” GCIS director-general, Phumla Williams said.

Several recommendations were made by the Farlam Commission in 2018 into the killings, but are yet to be implemented.

“Government also notes the progress made in implementing the recommendations of the Farlam Commission of Inquiry in areas such as strengthening public order policing.”

It further acknowledged the process of reparations for families as well as the housing project for Marikana and the role played by the private sector.

“Whilst, work has been done by government and private sector to change the lives of those living in Marikana; government acknowledges that much more needs to be done in communities across the country.”

Meanwhile, one of the widows of the 34 striking mine workers that died in the massacre called on government to make sure that justice was served to the families of the victims, IOL reported.

The woman said government had still not apologised to the families for the incident and that there was no reconciliation between both parties.

“Till this day no government official or the authorities has apologised for what happened. We want them to apologise because it will help us in healing so that we are able to forgive them for the incident,” she said.

READ MORE: Marikana massacre happened because fabric of society was broken – Madonsela

During the commemoration of incident in Johannesburg on Sunday, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) leader, Joseph Mathunjwa slammed government for the lack of accountability.

“What happened on August 16, 2012 was carefully planned and orchestrated by the unholy alliance of the state and the capital to protect their interest,” he said.

Mathunjwa reiterated calls for the tragedy to be rename to Sibanye-Stillwater Massacre.

“The Sibanye massacre was a tipping point that unraveled a deep-rooted injustice underlying the structural deficiency of our economy.

“In this country we do not have leaders, but we have managers. The state, acting as a gatekeeper of the white monopoly capital, killed fellow South African in order to prove to their masters that their foreign direct investment is safe.”

Mathunjwa said while the police’s heavy-handed actions cannot go unpunished, more needs to be done to reform the country’s policing system.

Watch: Live on Facebookhttps://t.co/66GerFvPZK
Youtubehttps://t.co/TleRrHFYs0#RememberMarikana #MarikanaMassacre #AMCU #MakingADifference pic.twitter.com/inHDX0uE9n

— Amcu (@_AMCU) August 16, 2020

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.