BusinessLive reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa has promised to compensate the families of 44 miners who died during clashes with police in Marikana in 2012.
On Tuesday during his reply to the debate on the state of the nation address (Sona) a day earlier‚ Ramaphosa told members of the National Assembly that the government needed to take responsibility for its sins. "We must be prepared‚ as government‚ that where we have failed our people‚ where we have made mistakes‚ we take steps to correct those mistakes. One was the Marikana tragedy, which stands out as the darkest moment in the life our young democracy,” said Ramaphosa to a round of applause. He noted that three broad areas were identified for action by the Farlam Commission, which investigated the direct and root causes of the tragedy, namely compensation for the injured and families; examining the procedures of public order policing; and preparing valid cases for prosecution if there are applicable laws. Ramaphosa also took the opportunity to address what role he had played in his capacity as a Lonmin director in the events of the 2012 tragedy.
- Read this report by Neo Goba in full at BusinessLive
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