Marikana's wounds won't heal

Elizabeth Maubane attends the Marikana Commission of Inquiry every day. She hopes to find closure after the murder of her brother, Warrant Officer Hendrick Tsietsi Monene, days before last year's August 16 massacre.

The 47-year-old father of five was one of two policemen who were shot and hacked to death in a standoff between Lonmin miners and the police.

He and a colleague, Warrant Officer Sello Ronnie, were among the first 10 people killed three days before 34 miners were shot and killed by the police.

Maubane said that she heard on the news that two policemen had been killed, but it was a while before she found out that her brother was one of them.

"It was very traumatising and emotional for the whole family, especially his wife and five children," she said.

She said that Monene, who was stationed in Mpumalanga, was deployed to Marikana after returning from sick leave.

"He was a policeman for 21 years and loved his job. I've been attending the commission every day and I'm hoping that it brings me closure."

The commission is in its first phase of uncovering what happened between August 9, when workers first marched on the Lonmin offices, and August 16, the day of the massacre.

The commission's chairman, Judge Ian Farlam, has heard testimony from all parties - Lonmin, the Association of Mine and Construction Workers' Union (Amcu), the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the police.

Further testimony will include details about the murders of Lonmin security guards Frans Mabelane and Hassan Fundi, who where burnt to death on August 12, and miners Thapelo Mabebe, Pumzile Sopkanyile, Tembelakhe Mati, Semi Jokanisi and Julius Langa, who were shot and stabbed between August 12 and 13.

On August 14 a 10th victim, Isaah Twala, a NUM shop steward, was found with multiple stab wounds and the skull of a cow on his chest.

Over the p ast two weeks, the police have had to account for their actions that led to the death of the 34 miners. Was it self-defence or did members use excessive force on August 16?

The country's top police officer, Riah Phiyega, was the first of the top brass to take the stand. She faced a grilling by veteran human rights lawyer George Bizos for several days this week.

Bizos's submission of an 11-page document on policing in South Africa brought out the administrator in Phiyega. The document, compiled by the Institute for Security Studies, was first presented to the portfolio committee on police on Tuesday.

On Thursday, when Bizos grilled her on the content, Phiyega chose to be academic and tried to punch holes in the data, which painted a picture of a police force that appears to regard itself above the laws it is charged with upholding.

Bizos asked: ''Does the SAPS have a problem with abuse of power?" as he quoted statistics, including:

• A 313% increase in criminal cases opened against the police since 2001;
• 720 deaths reported to the police's watchdog, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, in 2011-12;

• More than 1000 police officers charged with corruption during the same period; and

• More than R1-billion in civil cases related to shooting incidents.

In addition, the report stated, 41% of the population did not trust the police.

''Have you any reason to doubt the institute's competency and sincerity?" asked Bizos.

Phiyega said the police had previously clashed with the institute over data. She said that the statistics needed a proper breakdown and had to be contextualised.

At the end of Thursday afternoon, Bizos, tired but relentless, summed up his case.

''The force employed was disproportionately excessive and extreme, and unlawful," he said.

In her response, the commissioner said simply: ''I disagree."

The commission hearings resume on Tuesday.