Marikana inquiry postponement rejected

2012-10-01 14:12

(AP)

Rustenburg - An application to postpone the judicial inquiry into the shooting at the Lonmin platinum mine was rejected on Monday.

Commission chairperson Ian Farlam said the in loco inspection in Marikana would continue on Monday afternoon.

This was after advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza, representing 20 families of those killed, asked the commission to postpone the matter for 14 days.

Ntsebeza said the families were in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape, and did not know the inquiry was starting on Monday. Ntsebeza's application was supported by Dali Mpofu, representing the arrested and injured miners.

Farlam said he had been informed the social development department was arranging to bring the families to Rustenburg. He said they would be shown a video of the in loco inspection, to be conducted on Monday, and if need be would be taken to the scene.

Earlier, Farlam said the parties would start by looking at the Lonmin mine's shafts. The commission would not go into the shafts on Monday, but do so later if needed.

The inspection would then proceed to Wonderkop, where the commission would look at the koppie where thousands of striking miners gathered in August during their six-week strike.

"We will then go see the informal settlement," said Farlam.

The commission would also inspect the so-called "klein koppie".

Oral and documented evidence

"We will then go to the place on the way to Karee," he said.

This is where two policemen were hacked to death and two miners killed and one injured on 13 August.

Farlam said the living conditions of the miners would be inspected -their hostels and informal housing. Lonmin had also asked the commission to look at the formal housing supplied by the mine, he said.

People would be allowed to point out places which they considered relevant to the inquiry. The descriptions of what happened at the site of the violence would be recorded.

Farlam said two days had been set aside for the inspection. Oral and documented evidence would be presented to the commission on Wednesday.

A total of 34 people were killed and 78 wounded in a shooting when police tried to disperse striking workers on 16 August.

Another 10 people were killed in violent protests the preceding week.

- SAPA