Remembering Marikana three years on
JOBURG - Nthabiseng Ntsenyeho, the daughter of one of the mine workers killed during the horrific Marikana massacre said, “All these years since the massacre took place, it’s still hard for me and my family to move on and find peace.”
Ntsenyeho related her pain as Amandla.mobi, a community advocacy organisation, hosted commemorative events this past week in remembrance of the tragic event that took place on 16 August 2012.
One of the events hosted was the carrying of the ‘Man in the green blanket’ image to Nelson Mandela Square and Melrose Arch on 12 August.
The 22-year-old student at the Vaal University continued to say that, while the loss of her father was especially tough for her mother, she was glad that the massacre is still being commemorated three years later.
“It means a lot to us to see this happening because it shows that people care and remember what happened to those mine workers and policemen who lost their lives,” she said.
Adding to this was Koketso Moeti, a campaigner at Amandla, who stressed the lack of justice for the affected families three years on, despite the release of the Marikana report earlier on this year.
Moeti added that if citizens failed to demand accountability, the tragic massacre ran the risk of being lost in the annals of history.
“Marikana Day is more than just mourning lives lost, it’s about stopping the exploitation and brutalisation of our people,” Moeti said.
More commemorative events took place, including one at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Newtown and a free screening of Miners shot down at Constitutional Hill. Both events took place on 16 August.
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