Marikana wasn’t a tragedy, it was a massacre, Sisonke Msimang tells Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Twitter message on the “Marikana tragedy” did not sit well with author Sisonke Msimang, who responded by referencing the alleged role he played in the death of 44 miners at the hands of security forces in 2012.

“The Marikana tragedy stands out as the darkest moment in the life of our young democracy. Today we remember our 44 compatriots who lost their lives in Marikana seven years ago this week. Never again can we allow such a tragedy to befall our nation,” the president tweeted.

“People killed in a car accident on a dark road is a tragedy. A massacre is what happens when a government guns down its own citizens after a wealthy businessman asks them to step in to protect mining interests,” was Msimang’s response.

The president was a director and shareholder at Lonmin mine when the massacre took place.

People killed in a car accident on a dark road is a tragedy. A massacre is what happens when a government guns down its own citizens after a wealthy businessman asks them to step in to protect mining interests. https://t.co/1jqomOYWYf

— Sisonke Msimang (@Sisonkemsimang) August 17, 2019

Following a protracted strike, Ramaphosa wrote a series of emails in which he called for stronger action to bring it to an end.

On the eve of the shooting, Ramaphosa said in an email discussion between Lonmin and government officials that incidents of violence around the strike were “plainly dastardly criminal acts and must be characterised as such”.

He later sought to qualify that by saying that at the time of writing ten people had already been killed and he was trying to prevent further bloodshed.

On August 26, 2012, former president Jacob Zuma appointed a Marikana commission of inquiry chaired by Judge Ian Farlam to investigate matters of public, national and international concern arising from the killings.

The Farlam commission ultimately exonerated Ramaphosa.

READ MORE: Marikana commission can’t be blamed for fact that there were no prosecutions – Judge Farlam

The judge told 702 on Friday morning that the commission cannot be blamed for the lack of prosecutions following the shootings seven years ago, also defending its conclusions regarding the president.

“As far as [Cyril] Ramaphosa, we set out all the reasons in the report of why we exonerated Mr Ramaphosa. No one has come since to my knowledge and said that they got this wrong. It is difficult to deal with criticism that is not motivated and has no grounds,” Farlam said.

A 600-page report was submitted to the president in March 2015, which recommended that an inquiry be held into the fitness of then national police commissioner Riah Phiyega and North West commissioner Lieutenant-General Zukiswa Mbombo to hold office.

It also recommended that the killings and assaults be referred to the director of public prosecutions for further investigation.

(Background reporting, News24 Wire and ANA)

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