Widows and families of the mineworkers who died during the Marikana Massacre on 16 August 2012. Picture: The Citizen/ Nigel Sibanda
The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) has built more than 30 houses across the country for the victims of the Marikana massacre.
Amcu revealed this on Tuesday, during its official commemoration event in the North West for the Marikana massacre.
Hundreds of community members and Amcu supporters gathered at the infamous Marikana koppie, outside Rustenburg to mark the 10th anniversary of the tragedy.
Thirty-four mineworkers were shot dead by police in Marikana during a protected wage strike in the platinum belt. In the days leading up to 16 August 2012, 10 people – including police officers and security guards – were also killed.
Ten years later, no one has been held accountable or prosecuted for the 44 killings.
ALSO READ: Marikana massacre: Calls for Ramaphosa to apologise and step aside
Advocate Teboho Mosikili, from the Marikana Massacre Amcu Trust Fund, told the crowds gathered at the koppie they had built more than 30 houses for the victims of the massacre in the past eight years.
Mosikili said the fund was not only assisting the families of the slain mineworkers, but the families of all the 44 victims who were affected by the tragedy.
“We remain committed to that purpose that we will not discriminate because we are all black people who were affected by the incidents of Marikana.
“The project started less than 10 years ago, and out of all those 44 houses, we have built more than 30 of those houses,” he said.
Mosikili said the monies received by the fund – which was created to address the need for housing, education and skills development for the affected families – came from public donations and fees from Amcu members.
“They’re about three categories of houses that still need to be built. These are families that still need to decide where we need to build their homes and there are also families from Lesotho who need houses.
“And most importantly, there are families who already have houses and they want us to assist them through other means.”
Earlier, United Democratic Movement (UDM) leader, Bantu Holomisa, said the governing ANC did not care about the plight of the Marikana victims.
He accused the ANC of lacking a “moral compass” saying the party had no intention of ensuring justice and accountability for the affected families.
“It is far too easy to get away with this type of crime and injustice. There is just no moral compass left in the ANC [and] no care for the lives lost in 2012, and disaffected communities.
“Nor is there any care for the rest of South Africans who suffer in a crime-ridden and jobless country with no water and electricity, and more potholes than road surface in their street,” Holomisa said.
Holomisa said the only way to tackle the socioeconomic challenges in the country was to remove the ANC from government.
“The only way we will ever see justice in this country is if we have a new government in place. The people have the power to elect a government where perpetrators of injustice and corruption do not go about shielding each other from prosecution, where justice is served and no one is above the law.”
One South Africa Movement leader Mmusi Maimane said Tuesday’s commemorations reflected 10 years of betrayal by the ANC government.
Maimane called on the crowds gathered to elect a new government in 2024, that would hold those responsible for the Marikana accountable.
“We are here to stand up together and say the struggle of Marikana is the struggle of the people of South Africa,” he said.
He said in the last ten years, the living conditions of mineworkers and the community of Marikana had not changed.
Maimane added that the struggle of the minworkers was the struggle of all Africans when it came to beneficiation in the mining industry.
“If we are going to fix the history of mining, they shall never be mine ownership in South Africa that does not involve the people who mine themselves. If the workers do not own, then the benefits cannot go to them.”
NOW READ: 10th anniversary of the Marikana massacre: Minerals Council on backing mineworkers
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.
