Former mineworker and Marikana survivor Mzoxolo Magidiwana’s name means “home of peace”, but 10 years after suffering multiple gunshot wounds during the massacre his life is anything but peaceful.
“It’s through God’s grace that I am well and alive right now, but we’ve become the laughing stock in the community despite our blood having been shed with the whole world watching,” he said.
Magidiwana, who took TimesLIVE Premium around the koppie in Nkaneng, where the Marikana massacre took place, said locals have labelled him as one of the bantu basentabeni (the people from the mountain). This is in reference to the koppie where striking Lonmin mineworkers had gathered before 34 were shot dead by police officers — none of whom has been prosecuted.
Now some residents taunt those who survived, saying they have nothing to show for all their suffering.
Magidiwana, who was shot multiple times, is yet to be compensated for his injuries.
“It’s like this left arm doesn’t exist any more, my body is damaged. I can’t walk long distances, I can’t even run,” Magidiwana said.
Simple chores such as doing laundry have now become difficult.
His life is much worse than when he started his job as an underground general mineworker at Lonmin, a year before the Marikana massacre. Then a 23-year-old from Nkanya village in Elliotdale, Eastern Cape, Magidiwana found himself thrust in the midst of what would become labour action for the history books.
Magidiwana was earning about R5,000, including wages of about R4,000 and a sleep-out allowance of R1,000, after landing his first job at Lonmin in 2011.
He often gets flashbacks of the bloodshed he witnessed on the day of the massacre. Magidiwana was with the first group that included Mgcineni “Mambush” Noki, often referred to as “the man in the green blanket”.
“I was walking alongside Mambush just before police started shooting... I saw bullets smashing people's skulls. It's God who kept me alive,” he said.
“They say I was hit with seven bullets, but these two wounds were never there before the Marikana massacre, so it means I was hit nine times,” he said, pointing to two scars on his arm.
Magidiwana feels pain every time people joke about them not having seen a penny in compensation. He said often people would point at him when discussing Marikana survivors and that many have nothing to show for it.
“I am not the only one affected. There are those who are now using sticks to walk, such as Lungile Madwansi, and many others who are still waiting for compensation,” Magidiwana said.
Now relying on his disability pay to survive, he no longer has the option of putting in overtime work to add to his salary.
“I am the one who got most injured from the Marikana incident, but I don’t want people to feel pity for me,” he said.
Though the state announced last week it had settled half of the Marikana litigation cases, Magidiwana is still on the waiting list. Department of justice and constitutional development solicitor-general Fhedzisani Pandelani said there were 48 civil matters before the Pretoria high court and 24 of those had been settled. This is in relation to the Marikana massacre class action lawsuit that families of the deceased and survivors, such as Magidiwana, have launched against the state.
Pandelani told a press conference the court issued a directive that the outstanding matters be finalised before end of August. In August last year, the state paid R70m to 35 families involved in the lawsuit.
Magidiwana said he had considered various options for his future once he had received the money, including going into the taxi business or farming.
“I have debts because the money I get is very little and it’s tough to survive on it,” he said.
Magidiwana said he wished for August 16 to be declared a holiday and a monument built near the koppie to commemorate the day.
“Most importantly we need to be compensated, and all those who are responsible for the Marikana massacre need to be prosecuted.”
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