African National Congress (ANC) presidential hopeful, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma was sent packing in Marikana near Rustenburg on Tuesday.

Dlamini-Zuma was in Marikana to lay wreaths at the infamous koppie where 34 miners were gunned down by police on 16 August 2012.

Over 30 minibus taxis transported ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) members to Marikana where they were met by a group of about 20 Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) members who stopped Dlamini-Zuma from laying wreaths.

“We are not fighting. We do not want to see what happened here to repeat itself. Comrades, get into taxis, let us leave,” ANCWL deputy president Sisi Ntombela said.

At the time Dlamini-Zuma was inside her car.

Amcu members said no arrangements had been made with them to access the koppie.

“Next time you will do things professionally,” one of the Amcu members said, as terrified women retreated and got into the taxis.

Members of the media were also not spared.

“Stand that side, you come with the ANC. No, no, stay there. Go with them, leave,” said one man as journalists approached the group for comment.

Last week Tuesday, Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane was also stopped from laying wreaths at the site of the 2012 tragedy.

Thirty four mineworkers were killed on August 16, 2012, when the police opened fire, while ten other people, including two policemen and two Lonmim security guards, were killed a week earlier in wage-related violence which erupted at the mine.

Dlamini-Zuma, who is one of the ANC presidential hopefuls and a former African Union Commission chairperson, was in the Bojanala district of the North West as part of the provincial ANCWL women’s month programme.

She visited the traditional leadership of Bapo Ba Mogale, as well as the Ndlovu family, whose son Tebogo Ndlovu went missing on August 2, after a farmer allegedly shot him for stealing oranges.

His disappearance sparked mass protest that saw the N4, R104 and R566 roads blocked for a week.

Majakaneng residents were expected to march to the Mooinooi police station on Wednesday.