COULD THE MARIKANA MASSACRE BE PREMEDITATED?

As members of the Marikana community and Lonmin mine workers gathered at the School of Tourism and Hospitality at the University of Johannesburg, Bunting Road Campus. Videos of the “behind the scene” footage was being played as the ‘comrades’ of the mine entered, and as soon as Paul Verron from the Methodist Church began to speak, they sang in victor of their survival but then emotions began to rise as they settled down and allowed the discussion to commence as planned. He mentioned how important it is for the citizens of South Africa to understand that there is a struggle for justice, human dignity and getting the TRUTH.

The Map of The Area

The mine workers are in total opposition with what the media is publishing about the massacre as they tell their side of the story, which makes absolute sense. A map of the area was presented to give a clear description of what and how all of these things happened. “The police were sent to kill us, they came from the back where the TV cameras could not see - and they began to shoot”, said Comrade Chris, one of the mine workers. The razor fence that was strategically placed to “protect” the police and the news crew had a gap that was some sort of escape gateway for the mine workers not knowing that the news crews were there and made it look like the mine workers were attacking them as they (the police) opened fire at workers which seemed as a mechanism of defence.

One of the community members, Prim Rose Sonti shed tears as she said to the audience that she had seen her friend leave the house in the morning to go to work but he never came back, she said in agony that she went to all the mortuaries, prisons and hospitals and she could not find him. “Where are the other bodies, if management didn’t want them, why didn’t they fire them, they didn’t have to kill them”, she said. As the NUM’s head of production pillar, Eddie began to want to justify the act of the police and the killing of innocent lives, the workers of Lonmin left the auditorium angry and the audience began to sing and dance as some members threw empty water bottles at him as he left.

Some workers like Manelo who has worked there for over 10 years are still getting a salary of R4000 a month. Human greed drove the mine workers to march!

Could their side of the story be true?

Could this have been an ambush from the police and Lonmin’s management?

To see live videos of this seminar, visit http://ustre.am/NJbI