Abstract
The Marikana Commission of Inquiry was established following the killing of
34 Lonmin strikers by South African police on 16 August 2012. This article
provides a substantive review of the Commission’s Report, released in June
2015. It highlights the Commission’s assessment that a decision made by top
generals the evening before the massacre was ‘the decisive cause’ of the
deaths. This and other findings against the police are contrasted with failure to
make any recommendations for prosecution. Evidence presented to the
Commission is used to draw different conclusions from those in the report. In
particular, the article argues that the initial killings, broadcast live on television,
were a consequence of planning by the operational commander, rather than a
response to workers’ aggression. Culpability for the massacre is also
considered. While the narrative presented by the police was discredited, that
articulated by workers was largely vindicated. However, this did not restrain
the Commission from making comments hostile to the workers, and this
antipathy is viewed as a factor leading to errors of judgement. The article was
written in honour of Colin Murray. Resonating with his work, it ends by urging
historians to take workers’ voices seriously, something that Lonmin, the police,
media reporters, and the Commission conspicuously failed to do...