Apologise for Marikana or else, Ramaphosa warned

President Cyril Ramaphosa must apologise and compensate the families of Marikana victims before the end of August or face court action, Advocate Dali Mpofu SC said during the eighth commemoration of the massacre yesterday, notes a News24 report. He said Ramaphosa has been hiding behind technicalities in court, with his legal representation arguing that there is no case for an apology. During his campaign for the ANC presidency, Ramaphosa apologised for the manner in which the massacre unfolded. He promised to visit the area to apologise to victims. The report recalls that on the eve of the Marikana massacre, he said in an e-mail discussion between government officials and Lonmin management that the events around the strike were ‘plainly dastardly criminal acts and must be characterised as such’. Ramaphosa was a non-executive director at Lonmin mines at the time.

Yesterday, Mpofu warned that, should Ramaphosa fail to apologise, he has assembled a top team of advocates to deal with the matter – including Dumisa Ntsebeza SC and Tembeka Ngcukaitobi SC. ‘Even that is being generous, the fact that our clients are giving them two weeks. We want a human approach to this. For us, as Africans, we have a saying that ityala aliboli (a crime doesn't go stale) – it might take us 20 years, but this is not going away.’ According to the News24 report, Mpofu said the government has accepted liability, all they need to do is pay. He added: ‘The disgrace that these people have not been compensated after eight years. What are they thinking people are surviving on? People are walking around with bullets in their heads and limbs for eight years. Some have died, some of their children don't know what is coming next. What kind of black government is this? What kind of Africans are these who are so careless and are unable to say "sorry let's get around the table". All they want is emotional closure and the respect to their dignity.’ He said the government has had its knee on the necks of Marikana massacre families, much like what led to US citizen George Floyd's death. He added 'they can't breathe'.

– News24