The central committee of the National Union of Metal Workers of SA has called for the suspension of the police task force “that executed the Marikana massacre”.
“The CC calls on the commission to find out and make public who, between the minister of police and the national police commissioner, gave orders to shoot workers with live bullets when they peacefully assembled on that fateful mountain,” said Numsa’s general secretary Irvin Jim on Sunday.
Jim said the actions of the police confirmed that post-1994 South Africa had not transformed the apartheid state and its violent machinery.
A total of 34 people were killed when police opened fire at striking Lonmin mineworkers in Marikana on August 16. Ten people, including two police officers were killed in the week before.
“The actions of the police make a mockery of everything else we thought was transformed, including parliament,” he said.
“The CC demands the dismissal of anyone in the police or in political office who led to the massacre of the workers.” He said that despite government reforms, mineworkers were the most exploited, and earned very little “while the mine bosses, both local and international, are reaping billions of dollars from our minerals”.
Jim was speaking at a press briefing at the union’s offices in Newtown, Johannesburg, after the first meeting of the CC following its congress in August.
