Basotho miners die in Marikana tragedy
MASERU — Three mine workers from Lesotho were killed when police opened fire on striking mine workers in Marikana last week.
The clashes at South Africa’s Lonmin Platinum Mine left 44 dead.
The police killed 34 people after failed attempts to disperse the striking miners.
Ten others who include two police officers were killed by the striking miners before the Thursday clash.
Television footage of the incident showed the police pumping bullets into a crowd of mine workers who were advancing at them with machetes and spears.
The miners are demanding vastly improved wages and vowed not to return to work until their demands are met.
The three Basotho who were killed are from Maseru, Semonkong and Roma, according to TEBA, a mineworkers’ recruitment agency.
Lehlohonolo Tšilo, a senior officer at TEBA, said the mine sent them the sad news on Friday.
“We informed their families on Saturday. It is a great loss for the families and TEBA,” Tšilo said.
He said that two representatives from each family have gone to South Africa to meet with the mine management for necessary arrangements and to attend a memorial service.
“When all the preparations are done the bodies will be transported to Lesotho for funeral arrangements,” he added.
South African president Jacob Zuma declared a week of national mourning in the wake of the deaths that have sparked outrage from South Africans and trade unions.
Some international media are comparing the massacre to the ones that happened under apartheid.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Lebesa Maloi, passed his condolences to the bereaved families in a statement on Sunday.
“We are very sorry for the deaths. This has not just affected the family members but the nation as a whole,” Maloi said.
Maloi said although people have a right to protest they should always negotiate solutions to their disputes.
He urged Basotho who wish to seek work in South Africa to have legal documentation to avoid unnecessary complications.
The South African police have said they opened fire when a group of miners “armed with dangerous weapons” attacked their patrol.
South African Police Commissioner, Victoria Phiyega, said the police acted in self-defence.
Comment by Ua 6Pondo. on 22 August 2012:
Talks about what the footage shows and then what the Police say.
Sad! Nob psychology overshadows peoples focus at times.
Comment by Machobelong on 23 August 2012:
I wish we could all fold our fingers and introspect. This is tragedy not to be repeated.
Comment by Gaddafi on 23 August 2012:
Basotho ba sebetsang South Africa ba tlameha ho hlompha melao ea naha eo, ‘me haba lokela le hore ba kene literaekeng haba ithata. Basotho ba tseba hantle hore ke mekopakopa e hauhetsoeng ke RSA hore ebe maburu a ba hirile. Joale le ba loants’a hobaneng? Basotho haba ke ba tlohele ho etsisa ma-South Africa haholo hobane ma-South Africa haba khotsofale hohang bophelong. Sejo senyane hase fete molomo. Ha le senya mesebetsi ea lona RSA le tla tla sebetsa kae Lesotho moo, naheng e ntseng e hloloa ho fa magraduate mesebetsi? Basotho baballang mesebetsi ea lona RSA moo hleng. Le ne le etella seteraeke pele hobane fela lele melata naheng eo? Ka mantsoe a mang le loants’a ‘muso oa RSA o le fileng work permits? Basotho aku inahaneng hleng, Lesotho ha le na mesebetsi hohang. Le tla e fumana kae M4000 Lesotho moo hobane ke salary ea magraduate eo naheng ee? Aku tloheleng ho bapala ka mathe metsi a le teng hleng Basotho kea le kopa!!!
Comment by David on 23 August 2012:
Hm, Mantsoe a matla Gadafi, empa hlokomela hore basotho bao ekanna eaba bane ba leka ho i pholosa khahlanong le ho futuheloa ke basebetsi ‘moho le bona. Basebetsi bao bane ba kanna ba bolaea Basotho bao, ba ba etsalletse ka hore ekanna eaba ke lispy kapa merakana a maburu ao amzanzi, haholo joang ha base ba ntse ba na le seo ba khethehang ka sona sa hore hase batho ba SA ke ba Lesotho.
Comment by Johannes on 23 August 2012:
@GADDAFI, u ipolelang u Gaddafi oa Libya, ke a lumela hore
u tsoetsoe ‘me oa fihla mona lefats’eng basotho ba sebetsa
merafong ea Africa Boroa, batho bana ba lahletsoe ke maphelo
a bona, re utloela malapa le beng ka bohloko, ba ts’elisehe, ebile
bomali-mabe hore ere batho ha ba loanela tokelo tsa bona ebele
ba bolaoa, ke ho hloka maikarabello hoa mmuso, “COPE” “IFP”
“DA” li a cho, “criminal charges have been opened against those
police official who shot and killed mine workers” JULLIUS MALEMA
So gaddafi stop undermining other people, respect.
Comment by Mafelekoana on 23 August 2012:
” ……………….who were advancing at them with machetes and spears.” How dare they? le nna ha ke le leponesa nka itshireletsa
Comment by irene on 23 August 2012:
Very judgemental nation. God forgive them cause one day it would be thier loved ones.
Comment by Lejantja on 24 August 2012:
O keke oa apesa sesole uniform ea sepolesa e be o re o oa namola. Mosebetsi oa sesole ke ho bolaea. Palo ena e ntse e eketsa hoba ba bang ba ntse ba qeteloa ka sephiri ha ba bang ba lahletsoe mo basa tsebeng. Hoba feela motho e motsho o na le li shares mining. E bohloko ruri!
Comment by Gaddafi on 24 August 2012:
@Johannes
Ho lula makeishining RSA ho se ho etsa hore ebe ha u sa tseba le ho ngola sesotho se nepahetseng na? Ebe sesothong ho na le lentsoe le bitsoang ‘maikarabello’? Ebe maikarabello ee ea hau e bolelang? Hee Basotho le sechaba se lahlehileng ele kannete. Who undermines other people? Ehlile ha u ntse u matha linaheng tsa batho ba bang u batla mosebetsi teng, u tlameha ho khotsofalla ntho’e ‘ngoe le e ‘ngoe eo ba u fang eona. Ha u teraeka u teraekela mang taba ea pele? Ke mang ea u memmeng ho tla sebetsa linaheng tsa batho ba bang? Akere ke uena? Joale u loants’a ‘muso oa naha eo hobaneng fela ba u hauhetse hore ebe ba u hirile ha naha ea heno e sitoa ho u fa mosebetsi? Ha ho na batho ba neng ba hlasela Basotho mona. Batho ba bolailoeng ke ba neng ba hlasela mapolesa ka libetsa tse kotsi, lisabole, melamu, marumo le lithunya.
Comment by Young on 24 August 2012:
@Mafelekoana…The authorities did nothing for too long and when they finally acted, caused a massacre and chaos. That’s the Zuma admistration for you…A typical “Darkie” way.
Whether the miners were armed or not is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is that the authorities ought to have acted in time, with caution. They handled the whole thing carelessly without amplying their minds. They’ve lost so much touch with reality. They are consumed by their hunger for power and self enrichment. African leaders are crap…period.
Comment by Gaddafi on 24 August 2012:
Hana ha mapolesa le oona ele batho ba nama le mali ba hlaseloa ke baitseki hana le lebeletse hore mapolesa a etseng ele batho ba batlang ho its’ireletsa le bona? Akere mapolesa ke batho ba tsoetsoe le bona hase maje? Nako eohle ha batho ba tletseng botlokotsebe ba betsa mapolesa ka majoe a lipitla kapa ba thunngoa, ha ho etsoe marata hore hee hee mapolesa a hlasetsoe a bolaoa, ekare ha ho shoele mapolesa ha ho ea shoa batho ba ratoang ke MOLIMO le bona. Eka hoja batho ba ratoang ke MOLIMO ke bao eseng mapolesa feela.
Batho ba South Africa ba violent hampe re hlotse re ba bona li-TV mona, ba tella hobane baa tseba hore ‘muso oa ANC o nkile mapolesa ese batho. Ehlile ha mapolesa a hloiloe ke sechaba le ‘muso, they will feel isolated and rejected, in that way, they will become revengeful and too defensive. ANC govt need to consider that Police officers are human beings just like everyone residing in RSA. They deserve to be respected too. Hake emele ho bolaoa ha batho Marikana, empa sechaba ha se etsa mekoloko ea boipelaetso haba ke ba hlomphe mapolesa mesebetsing ea bona. Rea tseba baipelaetsi ba rata hampe ho qholotsa mapolesa ebile ba ba rohaka.
Mapolesa a tlamehile hoba teng mekolokong ea boipelaetso hore ba tsebe ho tlisa botsitso, eseng hore baipelaetsi ba itaole ebe ba hlokisa naha botsitso. Ma-South Africa a tella hampe oona hle rea tseba. Haba bolaoa ke lefeela. Re hlotse re shebelletse bohlaha bona ba bona litelevisioning tsa bona ka mono, hee ba tella hle batho ba naha eno. Haba ke ba tlohele ho qosa mapolesa. Haba qose le bona banna bano ba Marikana ba violent bano. Ha bare ba tseka meputso ho mine, libetso tse kotsi hakalo ba ne ba li isa kae? Ba ne ba ilo bolaea mang ka tsona? Ke hokae moo u ka qobellang mohiri ka likhoka tse kaalo hore a u fe keketso ea moputso? Ke tseba meputso e negotiatoa hobane mohiri a ka re u batle mosebetsi nqe ‘ngoe moo ho pataloang betere kaha u na le tokelo e joalo.
Comment by Gaddafi on 24 August 2012:
@Lejantja
Aku fane ka bopaki ba litaba tsena tsa hau. Le haeba u RSA hona joale, re fe bopaki hobane rea tseba Basotho le mofuta o leshano hampe. Le rata le ho bua ntho tseo le sa li tsebeng too much ka leshano lena la lona. U ne u le teng u bona ka mahlo ao a hau ha batho ba ntse ba qeteloa? Uena u ile oa etsang ha u bona batho ba qeteloa mahlong a hau? Ke bopaki ba hore le uena u ‘molai hobane ha ho motho ea ka lumelang hore u eme u shebelle ha a qetela motho, ntle le hore le uena u ne u kentse letsoho u qetela batho.
Comment by BKC on 27 August 2012:
It is really sad that our brothers who have legitimately went seeking jobs in RSA have suffered this tragic end.
For those that watched the SABC footage, please tell us whether you saw any attack by the said miners, but I did not see any myself!
If there has been any attack, how Police got injured? All we saw was the police opening live ammunition unto the crowds.
Should People be killed for demanding a living wage-let the ANC government tells us that!
Should an advanced police force as that of RSA use live ammunition on civilians-let RSA government enlighten us!
Is this the price that the working class has to pay for struggling for the liberation of RSA that catapulted the ANC in to government-Let RSA provide an answer!
For those that have read post independence african history we are only see history repeating itself. Where the elite in power turn against their own People in defence of their white former colonial masters all in the name of defending profit!
All that the ANC government is doing is to walk down the memory lane of its’ preceeding african governments that have brought nothing other than pain and suffering to the masses that catapulted them into power!
It is time the RSA history is re-written, ‘the turning point’!
Comment by Mafelekoana on 28 August 2012:
Basotho “Blanket men” are known to be wielding their machetes and spears in South Africa, causingterror and mayhem everywhere they go. They are really violent. Zero tolerence to such behavior. Zero tolerence.
Comment by ache on 29 August 2012:
This a real tragedy, really sorry for those family who lost their love ones. Maybe police act too extremely. But imagine if you stand if front of lots people shouted and waving machetes and spears, are you going to trigger your guns??!
Is there any lessons we learn from it.
How to keep protest in peace? Did union do enough to persuade or prevent people not to carry machetes and spears? Why people will lost temper when they are many? If not sure about the answer, do this protest should continue?
Think about that, if happen in Lesotho what can we do?
Comment by Nthati on 29 August 2012:
@BKC
Ke hona ma-ANC a tlilo loana ho feta mona moo ba sentseng ba loana teng. Ke hona ba tlo fetohela ma-South Africa ana a bona a sa batleng ma-Africa ba be ba phaphathehe joaloka nakong ea apartheid. Ke hona ma-South Africa a tlo phaphathehela linaheng tsa rona tsa Africa hape joaloka ma-Zimbabwe. Joale kea ipotsa hore na ma-South Africa ebe a tla amoheleha hape fela bona ba hloile ma-Africa hakana kamora tokoloho eo ea bona haeba ke tokoloho hobane ‘na hake bone tokoloho ea letho naheng ea batho ba sotlehileng hakalo. Ha ba ea seteraekeng, hana joale libetsa tse mpe hakalo ba li isa kae? Ma-South Africa a tletse likhoka too much ekare mahlanya.