Dali Mpofu Says the Marikana Massacre Is Part of South Africa's Dark History
- Advocate Dail Mpofu says the Marikana Massacre will always be remembered as one of South Africa's darkest moments
- Mpofu said that what makes the killing of the mineworkers so tragic was that they were killed by their own government
- President Cyril Ramaphosa has been called out for failing to follow through with his promises to the families of the mineworkers who were killed in Marikana
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Advocate Dali Mpofu, who is the former legal representative of the families of mineworkers who were murdered in what is known as the Marikana Massacre, says that the incident will always be part of South Africa's darkest history.
According to Mpofu, the massacre would be remembered as the country's worst post-apartheid human catastrophe, reports SABC News.
Source: Getty Images
"Unlike the Sharpeville Massacre, unlike the Langa Massacre, this was the first massacre that was perpetrated in a way by us, because in those times we could say it’s the apartheid government, what do you expect?” said Mpofu
Mpofu contended that the Marikana miners were slain because they wanted to be free of the previous government's colonial and apartheid chains.
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Mpofu praised the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union's leadership for remaining "steadfast" in commemorating the massacre. AMCU hosted a virtual lecture for the ninth annual commemoration of the Marikana mineworkers, reports the Daily Maverick.
Ramaphosa criticised for failing to live up to promises at Marikana commemoration
President Cyril Ramaphosa came under fire at the Marikana commemoration lecture that took place on Wednesday. Ramaphosa is said to have failed to visit the families of murdered mineworkers when he had previously promised to do so, reports IOL.
“He (Ramaphosa) told the world he would come and apologise, but as we speak today that man never did that," said Xolani Dube from the Xubera Institute of Research and Development.
Dube also questioned Ramaphosa's previous assertion that he would apologise to the families, stating that if Ramaphosa had indeed done nothing wrong, why did he feel the need to apologise.
He also stated that business people involved in the murders of the mineworkers needed to be charged in terms of the International Criminal Court.
Marikana Massacre: 5 Police officers and former North West police general appear in court
Briefly News previously reported that a former deputy police commissioner from the North West and five other policemen appeared at the North West High Court in Mmabatho on multiple charges.
Major-General Mzondase William Mpembe, Colonel Salmon Vermaak and Constable Nkosana Mguye appeared in court alongside warrant officers Collin Mogale, Joseph Sekgwetla and Khazamola Makhubela, according to SowetanLIVE.
They are facing charges in relation to the Marikana Massacre that took place in 2012 where 34 mineworkers were killed. Lonmin workers had been protesting for a wage increase and demanded to be paid a minimum of R12 500. Many were killed after they clashed with members of the South African Police Services.
The accused are facing multiple charges such as multiple counts of murder and attempted murder. They are also charged with defeating the ends of justice by providing false information to the Farlam Commission of inquiry investigating the Marikana massacre as well as being in contravention of the Commissions Act.
Source: Briefly News
