President Cyril Ramaphosa has attracted a number of scandals in his political career. In some circles he’s earned the unenviable moniker of “cupcake”, while in others he’s known for his strong committee creating abilities. In Limpopo, Ramaphosa is known for his Ankole farming pedigree. Amid the koppies of the Marikana, North West, Ramaphosa is whispered about as a man who has not kept his word.
A day before the 2012 massacre, Ramaphosa had written to the management of Lonmin saying “concomitant action” should be taken against striking mineworkers who had staged a sit-in over several days at a rocky outcrop.
“The terrible events that have unfolded cannot be described as a labour dispute. They are plainly dastardly criminal and must be characterised as such ... There needs to be concomitant action to address this situation,” Ramaphosa had famously written.
Twenty-four hours after this email from the man who would be president, police took steps which led to the deaths of 34 miners.
If Ramaphosa did visit Marikana, he would discover an area with dusty untarred roads and streets strewn with rubbish because there is no refuse collection.
While the Farlam Commission of Inquiry did not to draw a direct line between these emails and the police’s action, Ramaphosa has acknowledged there is a need for him to go to the area and speak directly to the families. In 2018, while attending the funeral of late mama Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Ramaphosa said he would visit Marikana along with EFF leader Julius Malema. To this day, the visit remains an unfulfilled promise.
While the government has used the ongoing Marikana-related litigation as reasoning why Ramaphosa has not yet visited the community, the reasoning falls flat in a community that still carries the scars of the violent protest and subsequent massacre.
If Ramaphosa did visit Marikana, he would discover an area with dusty untarred roads and streets strewn with rubbish because there is no refuse collection. Nkaneng village, which flanks the area where the massacre took place, is underdeveloped. Many people say little has changed there in the 10 years since the massacre. The Rustenburg municipality, which is meant to service the area, has much to answer for as residents complain bitterly about service delivery.
“Nothing has changed here,” one shopkeeper told the TimesLIVE Premium team on a recent visit.
Those who survived the massacre and the families of those killed, believe Ramaphosa should visit the community on behalf of government or in his personal capacity to begin a healing process. Ramaphosa’s comments were made before he was president, but now that he’s taken up the office of president there is a greater expectation from Marikana residents that “as a statesman” he will visit the area to lead the healing.
“To some extent as a statesman he can give reparations, something just to say sorry. Just to talk to us. But he is nowhere to be found. I don’t know if he is not a man of his word,” Aisha Fundi, the widow of security guard Hassan Fundi, told TimesLIVE Premium.
Her sentiment is shared by the families of the 34 slain workers and those injured in the August 16 shooting.
As a president, Ramaphosa has a responsibility to lead reconciliation. The rift that exists between the two affected groups — the families of the workers and those killed prior — could be healed by a joint meeting with Ramaphosa. Enough time has passed that government and the community can now have a frank discussion about the prevailing conditions at the time and the conditions that remain in place. Ramaphosa has the power to change the narrative around Marikana from an area of complete despair to one of renewal, where the community is adequately supported by local, provincial and national government. If he doesn’t step up, his inaction on Marikana will leave a permanent stain on his legacy.
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