News24 reports that Joseph Mathunjwa, president of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), said on Monday that the victims of the Marikana massacre should not be used as instruments to mend relations between the ANC and the EFF.  

He wrote in an open letter:  "We were unpleasantly surprised in the recent address at the funeral of our struggle icon and heroine Mama Winnie Madikizela-Mandela that the state president has courted the leadership of the EFF to nicodemusly (secretly) go and apologise to the widows of the Marikana massacre."  This was after ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa said at the funeral at the weekend that he would take EFF leader Julius Malema with him "to heal the wounds of those in Marikana".  Ramaphosa said Madikizela-Mandela had promised that she would take him to Marikana to formally apologise to the widows of the 34 miners who were killed by police.  "I am going to go to Marikana without you, but I will be guided by your spirit," Ramaphosa stated.  “The suggestion that the EFF leadership can provide access to the widows of the Marikana victims is misleading and an underhand attempt to undermine Amcu in this reconciliation process," Mathunjwa wrote.  He urged Ramaphosa to review his approach.

• Read this report by Jenna Etheridge in full at News24

Read Joseph Mathunjwa’s open letter at Amcu News

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