Marikana survivors want R1 billion from government

Despite the South African government offering R100 million to the survivors of the infamous Marikana massacre, protesters who were unlawfully arrested, injured and abused are demanding a settlement upwards of a billion rand.

Marikana survivors have rejected the latest compensation offer tabled by the government. As reported by 702 Talk Radio, the attorney representing the claimants, Andries Nkome, maintains that the total damages due to the survivors exceed one billion rand.

Read: Marikana Hit List – Miners who survived the massacre are being murdered monthly

The discrepancy in reimbursement, Nkome says, is due to the government’s scheme of paying out for limited claims only relating to unlawful arrest and detentions.

The Marikana tragedy claimed the lives of 44 people in August 2012 and left scores more grievously injured.

Full government compensation

During a radio interview with 702’s Midday Report, Nkome insisted that the survivors of Marikana would not settle for anything less than they are owed, saying:

 “The claims we have instituted against the government are for unlawful arrest, unlawful detention, malicious provocation, as well as the injuries that our people suffered. [the claim] Is for more than a billion rand.”

Nkome maintained that the offers government were now proposing were only for part of the claim.

The attorney also pointed to severe psychological damage inflicted on the Marikana protesters at the hands of government and the police force.

Negotiations were still on-going regarding compensation for emotional trauma suffered by the survivors. According to Nkome, the government has not yet agreed to a compensation amount relating to claims outside of unlawful arrest.

300 Marikana survivors seek compensation

Nkome elaborated on the issues facing the survivors, particularly the subsequent arrest of close to 300 protesters, saying:

“Immediately after the massacre, 279 of them [Marikana survivors] were arrested and made to appear before court. The matters against those 279 have been withdrawn – only 17 of them still need to appear before court.”

Psychological trauma

When questioned on the issue of emotional trauma plaguing survivors, and figures relating to that specific compensation claim, Nkome said:

“The courts handle matters of compensation – the first process is to determine whether or not there is a liability on behalf of the government.

We have gone beyond that task; the government says it is liable. The next stage is the calculation of compensation.

In this stage, we refer our people to doctors who then quantify the value of compensation that is required to try and put him [the victim] back to how he was before the damage was made on him [sic].”

Marikana settlement in the final stages

Nkome believes that legal negotiations are in the final stages regarding settlements for the Marikana survivors. He commented that the claimants and government were eventually ‘seeing each other’.

Read: Marikana – What was Cyril Ramaphosa’s role?

Regarding President Cyril Ramaphosa’s suspected role in the Marikana massacre, and subsequent apology, Nkome set the record straight, saying:

“The president did not make an apology for the damage that have been caused at Marikana.”