What you said
'He has blood on his hands': What you said about Marikana staining Ramaphosa's legacy
Image: Sandile Ndlovu
As the country commemorates the 10th anniversary of the Marikana massacre, TimesLIVE readers have weighed in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s involvement and legacy.
In August 2012 34 mineworkers were shot by police in Marikana, North West, during a standoff with law enforcement while protesting for higher pay and better living conditions.
Workers at the Lonmin platinum mine were demanding a minimum monthly salary of R12,500. When negotiations with management reached a deadlock, workers engaged in strike action.
A Lonmin shareholder at the time, Ramaphosa wrote to the company’s executives and senior government officials a day before the massacre to urge “concomitant action”.
Emails showed he asked then police minister Nathi Mthethwa and then minerals and energy minister Susan Shabangu to urgently intervene.
The Farlam commission of inquiry did not draw a direct line between the emails and police action.
Last month the South Gauteng High Court found a case could be made that Ramaphosa, the police and Lonmin colluded in events that led to the killings, but did not find them directly responsible for the deaths.
Speaking at Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s funeral in 2014, Ramaphosa promised to visit Marikana to meet the victims' families.
He is yet to do so and the government has said the ongoing Marikana-related litigation is a reason for Ramaphosa’s no show.
Marikana widow Aisha Fundi told TimesLIVE Premium she had hoped the president would address the community, adding that he was not a man of his word.
TimesLIVE readers who participated in our poll agreed, saying Ramaphosa had “blood on his hands”
Forty-eight percent believed Marikana would be a stain on Ramaphosa's legacy.
30% said the court and commission had already ruled on his role in the massacre, while 22% said they would remember the president for other things he had done.
The debate continued on social media.
“What legacy does Ramaphosa have other than to benefit from the ANC BEE policy?” asked Mzi Ngubane.
Saza Mleke Kwa M'bwangandu said: “Na, he's just been dragged into it. There was a president and police minister when it happened and he was none.”
Selena Govender added: “He does not really care about people”.