Damning Ramaphosa e-mails revealed

It says the correspondences released by Advocate Dali Mpofu, who is representing injured miners and more than 200 workers who were arrested - portrays Ramaphosa as callous. In an e-mail to Albert Jamieson, Lonmin's chief commercial officer, a day before the 16 August shooting, Ramaphosa wrote: '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's office refused to comment yesterday, saying the matter was being dealt with by the commission. In other e-mails to Lonmin executives - chair Roger Phillimore, business transformation manager Thandeka Ncube, chief financial officer Simon Scott and board member Mohamed Seedat - on 15 August, Ramaphosa reveals he will intervene with senior ANC and government figures on behalf of the mining company. The e-mails show that Ramaphosa, chairman of Lonmin's BEE partner, Incwala, warned Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa to come down hard on striking miners; how mining bosses lobbied him to 'influence' Shabangu; and how he advised Shabangu that her 'silence and inaction' about the happenings at Lonmin was 'bad for her and government', notes the report. An e-mail titled 'Security Situation' reads: 'You are absolutely correct in insisting that the Minister (Shabangu) and indeed all government officials need to understand that we are essentially dealing with a criminal act. I have said as much to the Minister of Safety and Security.' Full report in The Times

Mpofu claimed the e-mails showed a direct 'toxic collusion' between Lonmin, Minister Susan Shabangu's department, the Police Ministry, state security agencies and Ramaphosa. 'It is clear Ramaphosa was directly involved by advising what was to be done to address these 'dastardly criminal actions',' Mpofu said. 'We have e-mails that were being exchanged between Lonmin management, government Ministers (of Mineral Resources and the Police) and at the centre is a gentleman called Cyril Ramaphosa,' he said, according to a report on the News24 site. Ramaphosa's Shanduka Group is a shareholder at Lonmin and he sits on the board. Ramaphosa has intimated in the press that his R300m investment for a 9% stake was now 'completely underwater, almost lost'. Mpofu also said evidence would be led to discredit claims that the shootings were spontaneous acts committed in self-defence by police officers. 'What happened was premeditated murder of defenceless people. It had been agreed at a police meeting held on 16 August that 'stage 3' of their plan was going to be executed and those discussions had gone as far as (the) Police Commissioner and the Minister,' he said. Full report on the News24 site

Mpoful told the commission his team was considering pulling out of the proceedings, says a Mail & Guardian Online report. 'We have found a pattern characterised by many things... treating victims of this matter with such disdain that we can't continue,' he is quoted as saying. 'There has been a refusal by government to assist representatives of the victims... even with logistical support.' According to the report, Mpofu said he had approached Legal Aid SA for financial assistance for the arrested miners, some of whom were among the injured. 'We received a very crass response which says they won't be funding them.' The only people who would receive financial support during the inquiry were the families of the miners who had died. 'So they are saying that they (the miners) should have wished they had died,' said Mpofu. Evidence leader Mbuyiseli Madlanga told Mpofu he would speak to Legal Aid and try to sort out the situation. Full Mail & Guardian Online report

Lonmin has denied claims it colluded with the police and the government ahead of the shooting. 'Lonmin's action to engage with appropriate authorities of the state was simply part of a process aimed at achieving normality,' the company said in a statement recorded on the Fin24.com site. 'Lonmin is a mining company and is not responsible for law enforcement.' The company said it wanted to communicate with the government to ensure it understood the company's view of the situation, to ensure a peaceful resolution of the matter. Full report on the Fin24.com site

A crime scene technician told the commission, police may not have accounted for all the evidence collected after the 16 August shootings. The admission came from Lieutenant Colonel Johan Botha, who visited the scene after the shootings, during cross examination by evidence leaders and Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union legal representative, Advocate Tim Breynders, about events that transpired between 9 and 16 August and, in particular, 13 August when several people died, including police officers and civilians, says a Mail & Guardian Online report. In a moment of frustration, Botha admitted that they may have missed some cartridges or bullets as the scene was being combed. Police have also admitted that they have not finalised ballistic reports pertaining to 16 August - it is understood that after the initial bout of gunfire at the first scene of violence, police also went after smaller groups of miners in the other smaller koppies, killing several more. Botha, who has more than 20 years of experience in his job, was the first witness called to the stand after an emotionally charged morning, when more than a dozen video clips of the events of 16 August were shown. After playing the first three clips, proceedings had to be adjourned to allow family members an opportunity to grieve in private and speak to counsellors. Full Mail & Guardian Online report