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[Dangle]

It is already being compared to Sharpeville.
Some talks of 35 deaths already.
Good old S.A. in the news again.







‘Lonmin violence similar to Sharpeville’

August 17 2012 at 12:13am

Comment on this story

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Reuters

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Protesting miners approach the police before they were shot at outside Lonmin's Marikana platinum mine in Rustenburg.[/color]

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Johannesburg - The violence at Lonmin's Marikana mine in the North West was similar to the Sharpeville and Soweto shootings, the Azanian People's Organisation (Azapo) said in a statement on Thursday.[/color][color=#000000]
“As Azapo, we can only describe the situation as a massacre not different from March 21, 1960, in Sharpeville; June 16, 1976, in Soweto and June 17, 1992, in Boipatong,” the party said.[/color][color=#000000]
“It was the police that killed Andries Tatane, a protester who was demanding better services from government. Today police kill miners who are protesting for better working conditions and better remuneration.”[/color][color=#000000]
The party was saddened and angered by the deaths of miners on Thursday.[/color][color=#000000]
Azapo called for the immediate suspension of all police who were at the scene and called for an immediate criminal investigation by an independent international body.[/color][color=#000000]
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) should not be involved.[/color][color=#000000]
“We further call on members of families concerned to charge the state president, minister of police, and the commissioner of police for murder, in terms of vicarious liability,” the party said.[/color][color=#000000]
Azapo said that with the National Party being held liable for murders committed during apartheid, the same should be true of the current government.[/color][color=#000000]
Chanting could be heard from an informal settlement near the mine on Thursday evening, after the shooting left at least 18 people dead or wounded.[/color][color=#000000]
It was not clear if the group, who were singing liberation songs, were armed, but police were keeping watch.[/color][color=#000000]
The shooting erupted when police sought to disperse armed, striking workers who had gathered on a hill, in the area that had already seen 10 deaths in violent protests the past week.[/color][color=#000000]
It was not immediately clear who fired the first shots.[/color][color=#000000]
Police were not immediately available to comment on the number of dead and wounded in Thursday's shooting.[/color][color=#000000]
An uneasy calm returned to the mine area on Thursday evening as paramedics attended to those who were hit. - Sapa[/color]

[Dangle]

“We further call on members of families concerned to charge the state president, minister of police, and the commissioner of police for murder, in terms of vicarious liability,” the party said.
Azapo said that with the National Party being held liable for murders committed during apartheid, the same should be true of the current government.

[Mojoman]

I agree with what the cops did. We can't be held to ransom like this everytime some or other union has a dispute with management. People had already died, the muppets were armed, the area was dangerous so game on.

[Tumbleweed]

Mojoman, on 17 August 2012 - 06:12 , said:

I agree with what the cops did. We can't be held to ransom like this everytime some or other union has a dispute with management. People had already died, the muppets were armed, the area was dangerous so game on.

Ironically, this comes on same day that the NCoP approved amendments to the laws on deadly force. You can imagine that the cops were on edge, particularly after two of their members were hacked to death - and another badly injured - on Monday(? - will check).

[Gillie]

The protestors can be glad the cops are such bad shots... if you listen to the soundclip and the number of shots fired (it sounds like Chinese new year) the death toll could have been WAY more !

[Trek Fan]

Murderous thugs who got what they deserved IMO. That said I can't help feeling that this is all being orchestrated by the two unions fighting for supremacy

[Big H*]

I am not too old to remember other shootings in the years past, different ideals and situation but the same bullets and lives lost. Sad day when people are killed.

[Big H*]

Gillie, on 17 August 2012 - 06:33 , said:

The protestors can be glad the cops are such bad shots... if you listen to the soundclip and the number of shots fired (it sounds like Chinese new year) the death toll could have been WAY more !

e-news says 35 now. So you have reached your "way more"

[Enticement]

Don't loose perspective - there's another public holiday coming ...

[Tumbleweed]

There are two groups potentially at fault for what happened yesterday:

- Agitators from Amcu, who encouraged the rock drillers to embark on an illegal strike - no grievance had ever been lodged with the owners of Lonmin, and the union's "demands" fly in the face on an established two-year wage agreement already in place with NUM - that tuned violent from the outset.

- The cops, who claim they came under fire first. If no firearms are found, this shifts the blame somewhat. There will be a probe, but no one will be held accountable.

[duringd]

It's truly a sad day when lives are lost in this way. What is so ironic is that our own press (for example E News) only shows the police as being the aggressors. Whilst watching BBS, CNN and Sky all three these international press entities gave a far more balanced view and opinion of what happened. No one on this forum or even those sitting and critizing from their sitting room couches can even imagine what those police must go through every day. And here you have the situation where you have to make the split decision whether you get hacked by a spear or panga wielding entity or you defend your life. No thank you!! Good luck to those police personnel who will now most probably lose their jobs because they acted in self defense, but unfortunately politically incorrect.

[rouxtjie]

Just saw the clip, hectic!

[scotty]

Tumbleweed, on 17 August 2012 - 06:40 , said:

There are two groups potentially at fault for what happened yesterday:

- Agitators from Amcu, who encouraged the rock drillers to embark on an illegal strike - no grievance had ever been lodged with the owners of Lonmin, and the union's "demands" fly in the face on an established two-year wage agreement already in place with NUM - that tuned violent from the outset.

- The cops, who claim they came under fire first. If no firearms are found, this shifts the blame somewhat. There will be a probe, but no one will be held accountable.

702 news reporter who has been on the scene since Monday reported the group were very threatening the whole time and told her she would not leave alive if she came closer to them and police have been trying since then to disperse them peacefully, to no avail. Journalists were informed before the shooting by police that they were moving in, the strikers then ran  towards the police with their weapons raised, i doubt this was to hand them over, particularly in light of earlier incident where 2 police officers were stabbed and hacked to death.

[Tumbleweed]

Tumbleweed, on 17 August 2012 - 06:40 , said:

- The cops, who claim they came under fire first. If no firearms are found, this shifts the blame somewhat. There will be a probe, but no one will be held accountable.

Just saw some inserts on telly and read that the police now claim they have retrieved firearms the strikers.

[scotty]

Tumbleweed, on 17 August 2012 - 07:04 , said:

Just saw some inserts on telly and read that the police now claim they have retrieved firearms the strikers.

Also i heard was a firearm stolen from one of the murdered policeman.

[fabes]

Shocking!!!