----------------Forwarded FYI----------------- Judy Miriga Diaspora Spokesperson Executive Director Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc., USA http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com Marikana mine killings: South African police 'planted weapons'6 November 2012 Last updated at 06:34 ET  Clashes between miners and police led to the deaths of 44 people in August South African police have been accused of planting weapons near the bodies of workers killed during strikes at the Marikana platinum mine. Photographs taken by police suggested large knives had been placed near the bodies after they had been shot, a lawyer told an inquest into the deaths. Thirty-four miners died when police opened fire at striking miners in August, leading to widespread shock. The police say they were acting in self-defence. The bloodshed occurred on 16 August, days after the deaths of 10 people, including two police officers who were hacked to death. Judges are holding an inquiry into all 44 of the deaths. The inquiry was presented with photographs showing the bodies of the miners after the shooting - the most deadly police action since the end of apartheid in 1994. Machetes and handcuffs In one photograph, a dead man is seen lying on rocky ground near the mine. A second picture, taken later the same day, is identical except a yellow-handled machete is now lying under the man's right hand. Continue reading the main story Marikana mine unrest
"The evidence clearly showed there is at least a strong prima facie case that there has been an attempt to defeat the ends of justice," lawyer George Bizos told the inquest, according to the Sapa news agency. Lawyer for the police Ismael Semenya told Sapa that the national police commissioner Riah Phiyega had begun an investigation into the allegations. He said police authorities had been aware of the photographs since they were handed to the inquiry two weeks ago. The BBC's Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg says the court also saw video footage which showed the dead bodies of miners with their hands handcuffed behind their backs. The shootings caused huge shock in South Africa and led to comparisons with apartheid-era policing. In the immediate aftermath, authorities sought to portray the miners, who were striking illegally, as responsible for the violence and bloodshed. Some 270 of the striking miners were arrested and charged with murder, though the charges were later dropped. The strike ended in September after workers agreed a 22% pay rise with the mine's owners, platinum giant Lonmin. Lonmin Plc 1st Floor 34 Melrose Boulevard Melrose Arch Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
23 October 2012 Media Release: Lonmin's appeals to the state to intervene at Marikana In light of statements made at the Farlam Commission of Inquiry today (Tuesday 23 October), Lonmin would like to put on record the following: Considering the violence and loss of life in the period 10-14 August, Lonmin engaged with a number of stakeholders to ensure that the situation in and around Marikana was addressed in the appropriate manner. Lonmin is a mining company and is not responsible for law enforcement. It therefore stands to reason that the company, including members of its board, would communicate with the relevant stakeholders in government to ensure that they properly understood the company's view of the situation on the ground to ensure a peaceful resolution of the matter. Lonmin's action to engage with appropriate authorities of the State was simply part of a process aimed at achieving normality. - ENDS -
ENQUIRIES Media: media@lonmin.com +27 (0)11 502 7400 Notes to editors About Lonmin: Lonmin, which is listed on both the London Stock Exchange and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, is one of the world's largest primary producers of Platinum Group Metals (PGMs). These metals are essential for many industrial applications, especially catalytic converters for internal combustion engine emissions, as well as their widespread use in jewellery. Lonmin's operations are situated in the Bushveld Complex in South Africa, where nearly 80% of global PGM resources are found. The Company creates value for shareholders through mining, refining and marketing PGMs and has a vertically integrated operational structure – from mine to market. Lonmin's mining operations extract ore from which the Process Division produces refined PGMs for delivery to customers. Underpinning the operations is the Shared Services function which provides high quality levels of support and infrastructure across the operations. For further information please visit our website: http://www.lonmin.com South Africa Lonmin killings: 'We are so angry'19 August 2012 Last updated at 14:29 ET  South African President Jacob Zuma has declared a week of national mourning for striking miners killed in violence at a platinum mine on Thursday. Kitumetse (not her real name) is a resident of Wonderkop village near the Lonmin mine. Here she describes the anger in the local community after last week's incident. Continue reading the main story "Start Quote
End Quote "Our village is right next to the mine, it takes me five minutes to walk there. We all witnessed the shocking events of last week. My two sisters work at the mine. They were at work when the killing started. They called me to tell me how bad the situation was. Things are getting worse by the day. I was watching one of my friends yesterday who just found out that their 22-year-old son was dead. They had been looking all over for him for three days. Until now the police haven't issued a register for the dead or for those who have been arrested. Relatives have to go to the morgue to find out for themselves. Women here are going crazy for not knowing what has happened to their loved ones - and I feel their pain. I don't blame the policemen for shooting. If they didn't shoot, the miners would have killed them. What the miners did was a despicable barbaric act. Workers at the mine had been asking for higher wages for so long, the crowd must have [reached] boiling point after no-one listened to them. 'Neglected community' Lonmin should have intervened a long time ago. They knew about the miners' grievances, they knew about the strike, they knew workers wanted management to come forward, but they didn't intervene and were nowhere to be seen.  Kitumetse: "We don't have tar roads and they cut our water supply every day" They dismissed their workers and let this happen. So many people died - fathers, husbands, bread-winners. Now they are threatening workers that if they don't go back to work, they will be considered strikers and they will lose their jobs. Because of that, my sisters are going back to work. I worry about them. There is still a lot of tension. There are police there, masses and masses of them. They are there not to protect the lives of people, but the property of the mine. We are so angry. They (Lonmin) don't treat us like people. Lonmin has done nothing for the local community. They take our platinum and enrich themselves but where is our royalty money going? We don't have tar roads and our youth are unemployed. They cut off our water supply every day during the day. The water comes back only late at night. Then we have to fill the tanks and the buckets to have enough water for the next day. The water stinks and we have to buy purified water. Lonmin needs to start taking responsibility for their actions and start doing what is right." |
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