THE widows are starving and the lawyers are dragging their feet.
This is according to Nomzamo Zondo, co-ordinator of the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa, which is claiming on behalf of the Marikana widows.
Zondo told Daily Sun yesterday that state lawyers were acting against the spirit of President Jacob Zuma’s pledge that the widows should be paid as soon as possible.
She said months after the government accepted liability and offered an adjudication process, they have not committed in important areas.
“The state is not even saying because these families are struggling they will pay them a certain amount so they can keep going,” said Zondo.
She said this shouldn’t be difficult since government has already accepted liability.
The institute has lodged claims for all those who were supported by the miners at the time of the Marikana Massacre.
“We are now approaching the fourth anniversary of the massacre, and the widows are saying to us they want those claims to be finalised as soon as possible,” she added.
Zuma’s spokesman Dr Bongani Ngqulunga said the government was still committed to the process and its successful conclusion. State lawyers were working with legal parties of affected parties to expeditiously find a solution.
“The matter is being prioritised by state attorneys,” said Ngqulunga.
