SAHRC suspends its Marikana probe
2012-10-22 20:20
Rustenburg - The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) is suspending its investigation into the Marikana shooting, chairperson Lawrence Mushwana said on Monday.
"We do not intend to conduct a parallel investigation," he told reporters in Rustenburg.
The commission received complaints from a non-governmental organisation in Cape Town regarding the conduct of the police on 16 August, in Marikana.
The complaints related to the violation of human rights, in particular the right to life.
"Rather, we will make submissions [to the Farlam Commission of Inquiry] based on our work as the country's national human rights institution charged with monitoring human rights in South Africa."
He said their submissions would focus on the general standards of procedure regulating police conduct in a constitutional democracy, the extent to which business had a legal obligation to the community with which they worked, and the extent to which government structures had failed to protect the basic rights of the workers and their families.
The SAHRC would participate in the Marikana inquiry as an interested party.
The Farlam Commission of Inquiry is probing the shooting in which 34 Lonmin mine workers were killed on 16 August, in Marikana.
The workers, who were armed with pangas, spears, knobkerries, and iron rods, died after police fired on them. They had been on a wildcat strike demanding R12 500 salary per month.
- SAPA
