Farlam commission adjourned
2013-02-20 18:49
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Marikana
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Rustenburg - The Farlam commission of inquiry into 44
deaths during a strike at Lonmin Platinum's mine in Marikana, North West, was
adjourned on Wednesday after a water and power cut at the Rustenburg Civic
Centre.
Commission chairperson Ian Farlam said the proceedings
would begin again at 09:00 on Thursday.
A miner wounded on 16 August, Siphete Phatsha, said
through an interpreter that he had not attacked anyone on 16 August.
He had carried a panga and a sharpened iron rod that day,
but had carried only a stick earlier in the week, he told the commission.
He was about to explain this when the auditorium went
dark.
Earlier, Phatsha said he and other striking Lonmin miners
had assembled at a hill near the mine, when they noticed a nyala (a police
armoured vehicle) trying to "close us in".
"We left immediately. The idea was to proceed
towards [Nkaneng informal settlement]. We found police had closed our
way."
Phatsha said the miners, who were being with teargas and
by a water cannon, then ran towards a kraal.
Two or three nyalas had outstripped them and blocked
their way, but they ran behind the kraal. When they emerged, they were fired on
with live ammunition, he said.
"I jumped over people who had fallen down and went
through the kraal and out the other side."
Phatsha said that, at this point, he felt pain in his
foot and realised he had been shot.
"The injured toe was impeding my movements and
getting caught by stones and plants on the ground," he said in a
statement.
He amputated the remains of his toe with a bush knife.
"I sat down, cut off that piece and I was able to
run after that."
He tied a piece of cloth around the stump as a makeshift
tourniquet.
Phatsha said that at the small hill, he saw other
protesters surrendering to the police.
"They were raising their hands and asking for
forgiveness... They were being shot at."
He joined a group which were being arrested.
A policeman later told him and two others that they
needed medical treatment, and they were taken to hospital.
Earlier, Phatsha described his job as a rock drill
operator as dangerous, and said that in August, he earned around R5 000,
including a "sleep out" allowance.
The commission is probing the deaths of 44 people during
an unprotected strike at Lonmin Platinum's mine in Marikana last year.
On 16 August, 34 striking mineworkers were shot dead and
78 were injured when the police opened fire while trying to disperse a group
which had gathered on a hill near the mine.
Ten people, including two police officers and two
security guards, were killed near the mine in the preceding week.
- SAPA
