Makrikana Massacre: Miners Take President Cyril Ramaphosa to Court, SA Supports Miners

• President Cyril Ramaphosa and Sibanye Still Water are being sued by the Marikana survivors and families of the slain mineworkers
• They have filed a civil lawsuit with the Johannesburg High Court and they are asking for R1 billion in damages for the tragic massacre
• The judge presiding over the lawsuit has been asked to remove himself from the case because he owned shares in Sibanye Still Water

JOHANNESBURG - Survivors of the Marikana Massacre as well as the families of the 44 deceased mineworkers are taking President Cyril Ramaphosa and Sibayne Still Water to court to hold them accountable for the tragedy that struck nine years ago.

At the time of the tragic events, Ramaphosa was a non-executive board member at Lonmin, which is now Sibayne Still Water. Sibayne took over Lonmin seven years after the massacre and acquired their assets for R5 billion, according to News24.

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The individuals affected by the incident are suing Ramaphosa and Sibayne for R1 billion.

Miners travel from Marikana to Johannesburg for court proceedings

Almost 300 miners have travelled from Marikana to the Johannesburg High Court for the court proceedings. While the hearing will be heard virtually, the mineworkers will be gathered outside the courthouse, according to SABC News.

Marikana mineworkers' lawyers want judge to recuse himself

Legal representatives of the Marikana workers have called on Judge Lamont to recuse himself from the case. They argue that Lamont has a conflict of interest in the matter because of the shares he had in Sibayne.

According to the Mail & Guardian, it has been revealed that Lamont sold his shares approximately 20 days following him realising that he would be presiding over the case.

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Lamont told Advocate Dali Mpofu that he had actually acquired the shares after the incident took place, however, Mpofu stated that the date on which the judge acquired the shares did not matter.

South African stand with the miners

The killing of the mineworkers has affected South Africans at large. Many people believe that the families of the mineworkers deserve justice. Some people shared their views on Judge Lamont presiding over the matter while he has shares in Sibayne. Here are some of their comments:

@Spiwo said:

"Cyril Ramaphosa must pay for the pain he caused to Marikana workers. He must pay literally and also be charged for his involvement. It's a pity that he was protected by Jacob Zuma from accounting. Actually, Jacob Zuma justified and criminalised those workers. Doti nje womntu."

@moholi7 said:

"We are led by the forces of darkness where money and power matters most than human life,they don't care about all those people who lost their lives in Marikana they more worried about us getting vaccine."

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@OwenChipen said:

"Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa may get away with Marikana prosecution now, but it will come back when he retires. He better deal with it now while the sun still shines.#CR17BankStatements"

Ramaphosa plans on eventually visiting victims of the Marikana tragedy

Briefly News previously reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa has revealed that he has every intention of visiting the family of the victims of the Marikana tragedy who lost their lives in 2012. Ramaphosa said that he has been unable to visit the families yet due to various groups needing consultation.

He assured South Africans that these issues are being worked on. He denied claims that the families of the victims had not been paid compensation.

Ramaphosa stated that R174 million has been released to the families but there are still some outstanding payments that are being finalised according to SABC News.

Source: Briefly News