EFF leader Julius Malema has again accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of bearing responsibility in relation to the 2012 Marikana tragedy, saying he will “one day be held accountable” over the killing of mine workers.
Addressing supporters in Rustenburg, Malema said Ramaphosa should not believe the matter has been forgotten.
“We say to Ramaphosa, your day is coming. You must never think that the people forgot that you are the one who said the workers were criminals here. Your day is coming,” Malema told supporters.
He added that the memory of the Marikana miners would continue to haunt those in power.
“Those comrades who were killed at the koppie are turning in their graves; their spirits have never received peace because a man who killed them was promoted to become a president. That was an insult to the workers of Marikana, and that insult will stop one day when Ramaphosa is held accountable for what they did here in Marikana,” he said.
Malema told supporters the EFF would continue to push for justice for the victims of the 2012 tragedy.
“For as long as the EFF is alive, Marikana will remain alive. The day the EFF takes government, the people of Marikana will receive justice,” he said.
The EFF has consistently drawn political identity from the Marikana tragedy, which saw 34 mineworkers killed in August 2012 when police opened fire during a strike at Lonmin’s platinum mine.
The killings are one of the most controversial episodes in post-apartheid South Africa. A commission of inquiry later examined the events, including the role of key actors at the time.
Ramaphosa, who was a non-executive director at Lonmin during the strike, has previously said he regrets the loss of life and has rejected suggestions that he was responsible for the police action.
The Marikana massacre has remained a rallying point for the EFF since its formation, with the party repeatedly calling for accountability and justice for the families of the deceased miners.
TimesLIVE
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