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Today marks a decade since 44 people – 34 of whom were mine workers – were killed in the Marikana massacre. The callous loss of life that marked that awful day has become synonymous with the ANC government. The public continues to be exposed to an ineffective police service and suffer at the hands of an uncaring government.
As with the Life Esidimeni tragedy, the ANC government continues to ignore the ongoing suffering of those who are caught up in their failings; often at the cost of many innocent South Africans.
Despite the Farlam Commission’s inquiry into the massacre – at great public cost – the families of those who died in Marikana have yet to see justice done. Not a single person has been held accountable for the massacre. In the decade since the tragedy, no politicians or police officers have been arrested for the violence that was unleashed on people who were fighting for better working conditions – a failure on the part of South African law enforcement agencies.
This blight on our constitutional democracy must never be forgotten. The brutal killings at Marikana were akin to the violence that the apartheid government unleashed on those who were fighting for freedom.
It is atrocious that the very liberation movement so pivotal in establishing a democratic South Africa has turned against those they swore to emancipate. The majority of people suffering under the ANC government’s moral corruption and greed are poor, black South Africans.
The DA has long called for:
- The prosecution of every person involved in the deaths of the 44 people at Marikana;
- A reform of the mining sector; and
- Support and compensation for families of the victims.
The families need closure and justice for their loved ones.
Their lives that are lost should never be in vain, but serve as a reminder of what must never happen again.
Issued by Siviwe Gwarube MP - DA National Spokesperson
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