User:Linda211075264

Purpose
Marikana is a mine owned by Lonmin close to Rustenburg in South Africa. The event garnered international attention following clashes between the South African police force and the strikers which resulted in 36 deaths and a dozen injured. The strike occurred in August 2012. The main purpose of the strike was for better wages and salaries. The shootings have been described as a massacre in the South African media and have been compared to Sharpeville massacre in 1960.The day after the shootings a group of miners’ wives protested singing and chanting slogans and songs from the anti-apartheid struggle. They denied that the striking miners had shot first, insisted that the strike was about wages and demanded that the police offices responsible for the shooting be fire. Controversy emerged after it emerged that most of the victims were shot in the back.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marikana_miners'_strike

Response
The aftermath of the shooting is that the striking miners were refusing to return to work until their demands for higher wages was met. The labour dispute had taken a heavy financial toll on Lonmin, forcing the company to warn that it was violating its bank loan covenants. The president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma was faced with criticism for a sluggish response to the post-apartheid in one of the biggest disasters in South Africa. He was accused of being too slow to return to South Africa after a summit in Mozambique.http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/26/jacob-zuma-marikana-mine-killings

Outcome
An enquiry into the investigation was launch called the Marikana commission of enquiry for people to give evidence of what had happenend. Only about 5 family of the victims were present for the hearing. On September 20th, the mineworkers at Lonmin mine returned to work after signing an agreement wage of an increase by 22 percent.http://sun.com.na/content/international-news/marikana-inquiry-postponed

Reference
1.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marikana_miners'_strike 2.http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/26/jacob-zuma-marikana-mine-killings 3.http://sun.com.na/content/international-news/marikana-inquiry-postponed