Lonmin strike
The EPC section of Lonmin Platinum, with Bapong in the foreground
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| Date | 10 August 2012—20 September 2012 |
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| Location | Marikana area, close to Rustenburg, South Africa |
| Participants | Independent striking miners National Union of Mineworkers Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union South African Police Service Mine security Lonmin |
| Deaths |
14 August: 2 12–14 August: approx. 8 (police: 2, miners: 4, security guards: 2) 16 August: 34 miners (78 miners wounded) Later before resolution: 2 After 18 September resolution: 1 Total:47 |
The Marikana massacre, which took place on 16 August 2012, was the single most lethal use of force by South African security forces against civilians since 1960. The shootings have been described as a massacre in the South African media and have been compared to the Sharpeville massacre in 1960. The incident also took place on the 25-year anniversary of a nationwide South African miners' strike..
The massacre took place at two locations, roughly 500 metres away from each other, with 17 people fatally wounded at each of these locations. The vast majority of those killed were killed by fire from the R5 assault rifle used by the South African Police Service (SAPS).The official figure for strikers injured during the shooting is 78.
The strike was considered a seminal event in modern South African history, and was followed by similar strikes at other mines across South Africa, events which collectively made 2012 the most protest-filled year in the country since the end of apartheid.
The Marikana massacre started as a wildcat strike at a mine owned by Lonmin in the Marikana area, close to Rustenburg, South Africa in 2012. The event garnered international attention following a series of violent incidents between the South African Police Service, Lonmin security and members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on the one side and strikers themselves on the other. The first incidents of violence were reported to have started on 11 August after NUM leaders opened fire on NUM members who were on strike. Initial reports indicated that it was widely believed that two strikers died that day; however, it later turned out that two strikers were seriously wounded, but not killed, in the shooting by NUM members..
During the period from Sunday 12 August to Tuesday 14 August, 10 people were killed including 6 mine workers, 2 Lonmin security guards and 2 SAPS members. Three of the mine workers, and the two SAPS members, were killed in a clash between strikers and SAPS members on the afternoon of 13 August. The remaining 5 people are also known to or believed to have been killed by strikers. In response to the Lonmin strikers, there were a wave of wildcat strikes across the South African mining sector.
The Bench Marks Foundation argued: "The benefits of mining are not reaching the workers or the surrounding communities. Lack of employment opportunities for local youth, squalid living conditions, unemployment and growing inequalities contribute to this mess." It claimed the workers were exploited and this was a motivation for the violence. It also criticised the high profits when compared with the low wages of the workers. The International Labour Organisation criticised the condition of the miners saying they are exposed to "a variety of safety hazards: falling rocks, exposure to dust, intensive noise, fumes and high temperatures, among others." Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies described the conditions in the mines as "appalling" and said the owners who "make millions" had questions to answer about how they treat their workers. It was later reported by Al Jazeera that the conditions in the mine led to "seething tensions" as a result of "dire living conditions, union rivalry, and company disinterest."
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