TimesLIVE reports that the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (Seri) says it is disheartened with the acquittal on Monday of former North West police commissioner Maj-Gen William Mpembe and five other officers for their alleged involvement in the events in Marikana on 13 August 2012.

This was three days before the notorious Marikana massacre when 34 mineworkers were shot and killed The events on 13 August resulted in the deaths of mineworkers Semi Jokanisi, Thembelakhe Mati and Pumzile Sokanyile as well as W/O Tsietsi Hendrik Monene and W/O Sello Ronnie Lepaauku. A few days into the strike at the Marikana mine in the North West, mineworkers marched from Karee shaft towards the K4 shaft of the Lonmin mine to persuade others to join the strike. Before reaching the shaft, the mineworkers turned back to return to the koppie that they had occupied in Wonderkop. They were intercepted by the police, led by Mpembe, who attempted to negotiate with the mineworkers, seeking to disarm them of their traditional weapons. However, the police suddenly refused to continue with negotiations. Mpembe was later charged in his capacity as head of the operation for instructing police to fire teargas, stun grenades and rubber bullets which led to the chaos that resulted in the deaths of the mineworkers and police officers. Mpembe was also charged with the attempted murders of six surviving mineworkers and one police officer. The other five accused were charged alongside Mpembe with the murder of Sokanyile, who died as a result of being shot in the head after allegedly being pursued by the police, about 620m from the scene of the main confrontation. All the accused were acquitted on Monday in the Mahikeng High Court.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ernest Mabuza at TimesLIVE

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