Afriforum released a statement during the commemorate of the Marikana shooting in which police officers shot and killed 34 striking mine workers and wounded at least 78 on 16 August 2012. It was the single most lethal use of force by South African security forces against civilians since 1960.
According to Ian Cameron, AfriForum’s Head of Community Safety, incompetent leadership and poor decision making within the SAPS brought about the events at Marikana. “The suspended National Police Commissioner, Riah Phiyega, and the former Police Commissioner in the North West, Lieutenant General Zukiswa Mbombo, were not appointed or promoted according to merit. Mbombo only had a year’s operational experience and her judgement could thus not be of value during the Marikana incident, yet she was at the helm of North West.”
Cameron says the police, under the new leadership of Lieutenant General Khomotso Phahlane, acting Police Commissioner, has already shown improvement and that Nhleko must not impede this progress with the release of this police report this week encouraged by the Farlam Commission after the Marikana-massacre.
