Justice still eludes Marikana victims 13 years after the tragedy

Thirteen years after the Marikana tragedy, which resulted in the death of 34 miners in the mining village of Marikana in the North West Province, the victims and their widows are said to be still searching for justice for the slain miners.

This past Saturday marked 13 years since police gunned down 34 striking workers, while at least 10 people, including police and security officers, were killed in the weeks leading up to the bloodshed.

Scores of residents, including families of the victims and other prominent figures, gathered at the Marikana Koppie with Advocate Dali Mpofu, accusing the government of moving at a snail's pace in compensating the victims of their tragedy and their families.

Mpofu, who represented the miners, also indicated that the government has so far paid more than R300 million in the legal battle after the families of the deceased, along with widows of the slain miners, approached both the Pretoria High Court and the Constitutional Court to seek compensation.

Last year, the Department of Justice revealed it had paid out R352 million in compensation to the victims of the Marikana massacre.

"The government has been moving at a snail's pace to try and assuage all the damage that happened here. Two cases are left now. It is the case of Constitutional damages in respect of the widows as well as the case against the then director of Lonmin, Cyril Ramaphosa, who sent the message from here to the bosses, saying the workers are criminals," Mpofu said.

On Saturday, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), through its president, Joseph Mathunjwa, called for the 16th of August to be made a national holiday, while also slamming Ramaphosa for his alleged failure to formally apologise to the victims and their families.

"The action against the miners was sanctioned by the sitting President, Mr Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa, of which his political party has awarded him with the highest position in the land, hence every month, we are experiencing a massacre because his hands are full of the blood of our brothers and sisters, who were killed in this very mountain we are in today.

"We have campaigned for the current sitting President to apologise to the widows, the workers, and the working class in general since he made those commitments 8 years ago. However, even today, he has not made any effort to do that," he added.

Several organisations and political parties also honoured and commemorated the tragedy, with the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) saying Marikana miners were not criminals but workers, who were fighting for their rights and decent wages.

"They were not criminals. They were fathers, brothers, and sons, demanding a living wage in the face of exploitation, degradation, and hunger. Instead of dialogue and dignity, they were met with the barrels of the guns in full view of the world.

"The recent unemployment statistics paint a bleak picture: millions without work, millions without hope, and millions trapped in poverty while the political elite grow richer. Black workers, in particular, have been betrayed by a government that once claimed to be on their side. They face stagnating wages, unsafe workplaces, and rising living costs.

"The workers of Marikana died demanding a living wage; today, workers across South Africa still toil for peanuts, still live in shacks without water or sanitation, and still face dismissal and repression for daring to demand better living wages," the party said.

siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za.