Marikana families sue police for millions
2013-02-28 20:30
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Charl du Plessis, City Press
Johannesburg - Family members of miners who were killed at Marikana,
including mothers who suffered miscarriages in the wake of the violence,
have embarked upon a multimillion-rand lawsuit against the police.
In a press statement issued by the Social Economic Rights Institute
(Seri) on Thursday, the institute said it would sue on behalf of 36 families
who lost loved ones at Marikana.
Nomzamo Zondo, an attorney at Seri, told City Press that it was not
possible to put an amount on the damages, but that the amount claimed
would be between R10m and R50m.
Zondo said that while Seri remained hopeful about the findings of the
ongoing Marikana commission of inquiry into the death of 44 people at
the Lonmin Marikana mine in August last year, "our clients believe that
the SAPS (South African Police Service) used disproportionate force at
Marikana".
Zondo further said: "They are accordingly entitled to reparations for
the loss of support and general damages incurred as a result of the
killing."
Seri said that many of the family members it represented has suffered
"irreparable loss of support" due to the death of sole breadwinners in
the families.
It further said that many family members had suffered severe shock
when informed of the deaths of their loved ones, which had caused
depression and miscarriages among the families it represented.
The institute said that it had served notice of the claims on the
police in terms of the Institution of Legal Proceedings Against Certain
Organs of State Act.
The act requires payment to be made by the police within 30 days of
receiving the claim, failing which Seri would institute court
proceedings against the police.
