Rustenburg - At least two people have been arrested in connection with one of the 2012 murder cases in the platinum mines in North West, police said on Monday.
“We can confirm that suspects in the murder of Daluvuyo Bongo have been arrested, and the case is still in the court roll,” said Colonel Sabata Mokgwabone.
Bongo was the branch secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in Marikana. He was gunned down on October 5, 2012. At the time of his death, the NUM said he was going to present key information to the Farlam Commission.
Two men, Zenzile Nxenge and Sizakhele Kwazile, were arrested in connection with his murder.
Retired judge Ian Farlam chaired a commission investigating the deaths of 44 killed in August 2012 during a labour unrest at Lonmin’s Marikana operation in North West. Thirty-four were killed on August 16, 2012 when the police fired at them apparently attempting to disarmed and dispersed them. Ten including two policemen and two Lonmin security guards were killed in the preceding week.
The commission completed its investigation and handed the report over to the Presidency.
Mokgwabone said nobody had been arrested in the murder of Mawethu Stevens. “Investigation is still underway including in all the cases where suspects are not yet arrested.”
Stevens was the North West regional organiser of the Association of Mineworkers and Constrction Union (Amcu), he was shot dead while watching a soccer match on television in Potsaneng.
Mokgwabone denied that the police did not act on information provided to them by Amcu regarding the murder of its members.
During the union’s May Day rally in Orkney, union leader Joseph Mathunjwa said at least 15 of union members had been killed since 2012 and no arrest had been made. Even when the union provided the police with information.
“It is not true that we do not act on information from Amcu. Suspects are arrested if they are positively linked to cases irrespective of their union affiliation,” Mokgwabone said.
The latest member of Amcu to be killed was regional chairman of health and safety desk, Colleen Petlele who was gunned down at his parents business premises in Luka near Rustenburg on April 19.
A 40-year-old man from Lesotho was taken in for questioning in connection with Petlele’s murder but was released without being charged.
“Despite the information provided to law enforcement, no arrests has been made with regards to individual cases…” Mathunjwa said when he announced Petlele’s murder.
“These murders/assassinations undermine the constitutional democracy of our country as they contravene Amcu members’ right to freedom of association, which is a fundamental principle enshrined in our Constitution. We want to appeal again to the law enforcement agencies involved in these cases to leave no stone unturned in the investigation of these murders/assassinations. We rely on the law enforcement agencies to ensure that the murderers are brought to book,” Mathunjwa said.
He named other union members who were killed as: Steven Mawethu in Rustenburg, 2012; Thobela Sihlome in Rustenburg, Lonmin, 2012; Lucas Mamphoke in Limpopo Burgersfort – Glencore, 2013; Leon Mabilu also in Limpopo Burgersfort – Glencore, 2013; Zwelitsha Maqobola in Rustenburg – Lonmin, 2013; Mahamba also in Rustenburg – Impala, 2013; Thobile Qhinga in Rustenburg – Lonmin , 2013; Bongani Mehlwenkomo in Rustenburg – Lonmin, 2014; Shado Ncedani in Northam – Anglo Platinum, 2014 and Maweng at Orkney – Anglo Gold Ashanti in 2015.
ANA