[miningmx.com] – LONMIN refuted claims by an attorney representing
the families of slain Marikana mine workers that places its director, Cyril Ramaphosa,
at the centre of alleged collusion between the firm, government and the police only 24
hours before the shootings.
Advocate Dali Mpofu told the Farlam inquiry, which is investigating the shooting in
which 34 Marikana miners were shot dead by police in August, of an e-mail in which
Ramaphosa strongly condemned the protests, described them as criminal acts and
suggested “concomitant action’.
“This [e-mail] was [sent] on 15 August at 14:58, exactly 24 hours before the people
were mowed down on that mountain,’ said Mpofu, in a report by Sapa.
“We have e-mails that were being exchanged between Lonmin management,
government ministers [of mineral resources and the police], and at the centre is a
gentleman called Cyril Ramaphosa,’ Mpofu said.
“He advanced that what was taking place were criminal acts and must be
characterised as such.’
Lonmin responded that it was seeking to make its thoughts known to Government in
an effort to keep the strike that had broken out at Marikana peaceful.
“Lonmin’s action to engage with appropriate authorities of the state was simply part of
a process aimed at achieving normality,” the company said in a statement. “Lonmin is
a mining company and is not responsible for law enforcement.’
The company wanted to communicate with the government to ensure it understood
the company’s view of the situation, to ensure a peaceful resolution of the matter,
said Sapa.
