THE South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) said that delayed justice, and political opportunism has deferred the reconciliation and healing necessary for families that lost their loved ones during the Marikana Massacre.
Wednesday, 16 August, marked the 11-year anniversary of the killing of 34 striking mineworkers by the police at Lonmin Platinum Mine in Marikana, North West.
In the days leading to the massacre, ten people, including Lonmin security guards and police officers, were killed.
Sanco National Interim Committee (NIC) National Co-ordinator Paul Sebegoe maintained that exploiting the massacre for political expedience has compromised and delayed the healing process.
"The Marikana Massacre remains a painful blot and repulsive chapter in the history of South Africa’s young democracy," he said.
Sebegoe said it is worrying that the methods of engagement have not changed much since the horrible incident that shocked the world.
“Violence is still considered an option instead of constructive engagement through community dialogues. All assortments of weapons are still being carried during protests which are characterised by violence and no visible improvement in crowd control and public order policing,” he said.
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Sebegoe urged church and traditional leaders to facilitate dialogue between the government, aggrieved families and communities to pave the way towards reconciliation.
“The blame game and hostility must make way for accelerated service delivery as well as sustainable development necessary for peaceful coexistence in the mining community,” Sebegoe said.
He further said underdevelopment and squalor dehumanise people yearning for better living conditions and decent housing.
“Social Labour Plans (SLPs) must ensure that mining houses as beneficiaries of operations take responsibility for lack of infrastructure, roads and sanitation if the legacy of an extraction economy and exploitation is to be rewritten,” he said.
