34 striking mineworkers in Marikana, South Africa, were killed, and 78 injured, in what was the deadliest use of violence by the South African security forces against its own civilians since the Sharpeville massacre of 1960, and the demise of the heinous system of apartheid.
On 16August, 2012, 34 striking mineworkers in Marikana, South Africa, were killed, and 78 injured, in what was the deadliest use of violence by the South African security forces against its own civilians since the Sharpeville massacre of 1960, and the demise of the heinous system of apartheid in 1994. In total, 44 men lost their lives throughout the strike. The reason for the so called âWildcatâ strike, is that the miners were fighting for a âlivingâ wage, the amount a meagre R12,500.00. per month (approximately USD 750).
Miningâs migrant labor system and its legacy continues to be pervasive with many men supporting their families back home.
The Marikana Massacre, a âwatershedâ moment in the country’s young democracy, has had deep and long- lasting reverberations in South African society. The devastating effects of inter-generational trauma persist a decade on, with traumatized…
