Justice eludes Marikana victims 13 years after the tragedy

THIRTEEN years after the Marikana massacre, in which 34 miners in the mining village of Marikana, North West, died, the victims and their widows are said to be still searching for justice for the slain miners.

- SIYABONGA SITHOLE

Saturday marked 13 years since police gunned down 34 striking workers, while at least 10 people, including police and security officers, were killed in the weeks leading up to the bloodshed.

Scores of residents, including families of the victims and other prominent figures, gathered at the Marikana Koppie with Advocate Dali Mpofu, accusing the government of moving at a snail's pace in compensating the victims of their tragedy and their families.

Mpofu, who represented the miners, also indicated that the government has so far paid more than R300 million in the legal battle after the families of the deceased, including widows of the slain miners, approached both the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, and the Constitutional Court to seek compensation.