South Africa police slammed over Marikana miners' deaths

By Euronews with REUTERS

Published on 25/06/2015 - 23:06

A report into the 2012 massacre of dozens of South African miners has called for a criminal investigation into the police officers who carried out

A report into the 2012 massacre of dozens of South African miners has called for a criminal investigation into the police officers who carried out the shootings.

The inquiry also found that mine operator Lonmin had failed to prevent the violence and meet the reasonable wage demands of its striking workers.

Clashes took place over several days during a wildcat strike after many men brought weapons to the picket line. It culminated in the mass shootings by police on August 16th.

Announcing the findings of the commission, South African President Jacob Zuma said:

“The police operation should not have taken place on 16 August because of the defects in the plan.
The Commission has found that it would have been
impossible to disarm and disperse the strikers without significant bloodshed.”

South African police were blamed for excessive use of force and the miners’ union slammed for inflaming an already tense situation.

Police have always claimed self-defence.

As well as the deaths, nearly 80 people were injured during the main crackdown on August 16.