The fact that the mob was armed and that two policemen were killed a few days before cannot be ignored.

Do we expect our police to be slaughtered?

Instead of punishing the police for having reacted we should get to the root of the problem - the politicised unions and the arrogant mining house. - E Schwentzek, by e-mail

WHAT happened at Marikana is horrific. It was murder. We can't brush it aside and claim the miners were endangering the lives of the police.

Paying for their funerals will not bring them back.

Those men were shot and killed like dogs. They deserve justice. Their families deserve better from the Justice Department.

For too long we've been told about how the death of a police officer will be avenged - with the police virtually given a licence to kill. But what about miners who are killed? Justice must not have class and rank.