Mapaballo Borotho
- Residents of Wonderkop and Marikana are calling on the government to revoke Sibanye Stillwater’s mining license, accusing it of failing to improve their living conditions.
- On the 13th anniversary of the Marikana Massacre, widows, survivors, and community members gathered with AMCU to remember the 44 people killed during the 2012 strike.
- Locals say promises of clinics, roads, and development never materialised and are threatening secondary strike action.
Frustrated residents of Wonderkop and Marikana in the North West are calling on the government to revoke Sibanye Stillwater’s mining license.
They are accusing the company of failing to honour the recommendations made by the Farlam Commission of Inquiry to improve their living conditions.
The commission was established by former president Jacob Zuma after the tragic killing of 34 mineworkers on 16 August 2012, a day that remains etched in South Africa’s history as the Marikana Massacre.
Exactly 13 years later, the wounds remain raw. For the widows, the children, the survivors, and the community left behind, the pain is as fresh as the day their loved ones were taken.
On Saturday, the Marikana widows, massacre survivors, miners, and surrounding communities gathered with the AMCU union at the koppie to honour the 34 people who lost their lives during a demonstration for better working conditions and fair wages.
34 gunned down by police on that fateful day, and 10 others, including two police officers and two security guards, were killed in the days leading up to it.
Community members told Kaya News they feel abandoned. They had hoped that after the massacre, the mine would invest meaningfully in their lives through clinics, roads, schools, and proper housing.
Instead, they say, little has changed.
Thirteen years on, anger is mounting. Locals have threatened to embark on secondary strike action to force the mine to deliver on its commitments.
READ NEXT: Ramaphosa rejects R740 million budget for National Dialogue
