Rustenburg - The North West provincial government had not been invited to be part of the third anniversary Marikana commemorations, it said on Friday.
“No invitation has been issued to government to participate in the commemoration,” said acting head of communication Brian Setswambung.
The secretary of the ruling party ANC in the Bojanala region, Tokyo Mataboge, said the regional structure was also not invited.
Sunday’s ceremony would mark the third year since 34 mineworkers were shot dead during a confrontation with the police at a koppie near Nkaneng informal settlement, located near Marikana.
Mineworkers employed at Lonmin, went on a wildcat strike in August 2012, demanding a basic salary monthly of R12,500. The miners camped on top of the koppie, vowing not to descend until the employer met them at the koppie to resolve the strike.
In total, 44 people were killed during the strike. On August 16, 2012, 34 people were killed and in the week prior to the killings, 10 people, including two policemen and two Lonmin security guards, were killed.
Setswambung said the North West premier, Supra Mahumapelo, had set up the Marikana Reconciliation, Healing and Renewal Committee. “This is an all-inclusive structure that the premier set up to respond to the need for all our people in Marikana to unite, irrespective of their backgrounds. It is the view of the premier that the wounds and conflict of the past can best be resolved when we collectively engage in dialogue and draw lessons from the past,” he said.
The Marikana Reconciliation, Healing and Renewal Forum is made up of business, labour, civil society structures, the traditional leadership, the municipality and the government.
The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) had on Thursday said everyone was invited to the union’s upcoming commemoration of the 2012 Marikana killings.
“This is an open invitation to anyone who wants to attend the commemorations…we won’t be sending any invitation to any individuals or parties, everyone is invited,” Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa told journalists in Johannesburg.
Speakers at last year’s event were mostly leaders from opposition parties and non-government organisations, with the North West provincial government and ANC saying they were not invited. Mathunjwa and Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema received a rousing welcome from the crowd at the commemorations.
ANA