Parliament – Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has been summonsed in his personal capacity over the killing of striking mine workers at Marikana in 2012, he revealed in the National Assembly on Thursday.
Ramaphosa told MPs he had recused himself from the process of finding an alternative dispute resolution mechanism with a view to civil claims arising from the shooting of 34 miners, as he had been served with a summons “in my personal capacity” regarding the death of 34 miners at the hands of the police, and would soon be a litigant.
“As a consequence of that and on the basis of legal advice that I have sought and obtained, I have informed the secretary of Cabinet it would not be appropriate for me to get involved… as I will soon be a litigant in this matter, I will therefore not get involved at all.”
Asked for further details, Ramaphosa’s office simply confirmed “a summons has indeed been served on lawyers of Deputy President Ramaphosa arising from the Marikana tragedy”.
It added that he had instructed lawyers to defend the actions and stressed that the Farlam commission of inquiry into the shooting, which claimed more lives than any other security operation in post-apartheid South Africa, had exonerated Ramaphosa.
“We reiterate the view that the findings of the Farlam Commission remain clear insofar as they relate to Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa personally.”
The Marikana report released in June, held that “the commission has found that it cannot be said that Mr Ramaphosa was the cause of the massacre and the accusation against him are groundless”.
The commission had studied an email that Ramaphosa had sent to Lonmin’s chief commercial officer during the strike in which he termed the miners’ conduct criminal and urged “concomitant action” to address the situation.
It has seen the opposition, notably the Economic Freedom Fighters, repeatedly charge that the former National Union of Mineworkers leader and business tycoon has blood on his hands.
African News Agency
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