By Kenneth Mokgatlhe
Exactly eight years since the Marikana massacre, we have not seen any high profile prosecution despite allegations that politicians ordered the killings which left 34 miners dead with more than 200 injured.
The state has not been held to account for its leading role in the brutal killings of poor workers who were only protesting for decent wages and improved working conditions.
There is no doubt that the families of the slain miners and those who were injured were denied justice like many other South Africans because they cannot afford good lawyers.
The history of all commissions appointed by successive presidents of the Republic does not augur well for the future and accountability in this country.
Unarmed black South Africans were brutally killed both in the 1960s and in 1976 by the apartheid regime. But commissions of inquiry absolved politicians, and only blamed poor officials who were executing orders from powerful politicians.
Cyril Ramaphosa, who was a non-executive member of the London Mining (Lonmin) company which owned the mine at the time, was found to have sent emails to politicians calling for the“concomitant actions” as he was worried about the money which they were losing due to the industrial actions.
From the evidence before us, we can safely say that there was a collaboration or collusion of capital and state.
The ANC-led government continues to witness a legitimacy crisis. It is evident by the daily protests and the continued decline in the electoral performance. Rightly or wrongly, people have come to be comfortable in making comparisons and contradictions between the apartheid government with the ANC-led regime.
The Marikana massacre adds to other brutal massacres that this country has witnessed in the last century. What is common among all the massacres is the fact that no politicians was ever prosecuted or faced the might of the law.
The commission of inquiry appointed by the delinquent Jacob Zuma, and later the prosecution of members of the SAPS, was an absolute travesty of justice.
The commission, led by retired Judge Ian Farlam, was a political measure by Zuma to exonerate and absolve his own comrades. To prosecute SAPS is a deflection tactic, and doesn’t make sense as police officers were simply executing orders made by their superiors who in turn were instructed by politicians.
Instead of talking about the eighth commemoration of the Marikana massacre, Ramaphosa gave South Africans something to talk about. He addressed the media last weekend to ease the lockdown restrictions.
There was little said about Marikana, and people, rightly so, were ululating for getting their fundamental freedoms back that were taken away as a measure to fight the spread of Covid-19. People should not be made to believe that commissions appointed by politicians will help punish those who acted illegally. They are political weapons which are used to achieve a desired goal.
All these deficiencies or shortfalls on political accountability will lead to law-abiding citizens becoming transgressors or lawbreakers as they witness their leaders having no regard for the law and as such.
Politicians have set a wrong and dangerous precedence for the people to break the law without consequences.
Kenneth Mokgatlhe is a One South Africa (OSA) activist.
The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of Independent Media