South Africa’s opposition Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF) leader Julius Malema wants the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) to prosecute President Cyril Ramaphosa for the Marikana tragedy of nine years ago.
Malema was speaking on Monday at the anniversary of the 44 mineworkers killed at Marikana in North West province on 16 August 2012.
“We want to call upon the legal representatives to intensify that case to ensure that our people, survivors and the families of those who are dead, are paid both by the state — and Cyril Ramaphosa as an individual,” Malema said during an event hosted by the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union.
“And if they are not going to prosecute Ramaphosa, they must issue a non-prosecuting letter. As the EFF, we want to prosecute Ramaphosa through private prosecution,” Malema said.
He added: “It’s nine years since we opened the case. I opened the case myself at Marikana police station. No policeman has ever contacted me. No prosecutor has ever contacted me: which is very clear, that they are covering up for each other.”
Malema said if the NPA failed to take any action the EFF would act through private prosecutions.
Former opposition Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane said there was still no justice for the families of Marikana miners.
“Our tragedy today, nine years on, says we have a leadership and government that sat on empty promises. We were promised action. Still, nothing has happened,” Maimane said.
He added: “We were promised that the president would come and apologise. Still, nothing has happened. Still today in Marikana, nothing has changed.”
Ramaphosa was a non-executive director at Lonmin, the company involved in the labour dispute with workers on the day of the tragedy.
His company, Shanduka, was a minority shareholder in Lonmin, and he sent a series of emails that placed him in a bad light with some unions at the time.
NM/jn/APA