Malema presses criminal charges against Ramaphosa and five others over Marikana

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THE EFF would not give up their fight until Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa was in prison, party leader Julius Malema said yesterday.

“We are not going to rest until one of them is jailed,” Malema said after laying criminal charges against Ramaphosa and five others at the Marikana police station, near Rustenburg.

“We have opened charges of attempted murder, murder and conspiracy to murder against Cyril Ramaphosa, Nathi Mthethwa, Susan Shabangu, Riah Phiyega, Zukiswa Mbombo and Lonmin.”

The crowd chanted “Juju, Juju”, Malema’s nickname, as he emerged from the police station’s charge office.

The charges relate to the killing of dozens of miners in Marikana during 2012.

A total of 44 people were killed during a violent wildcat strike at Lonmin that year

Thirty-four of them were miners shot dead by police on August 16 2012.

Ten others were killed in the preceding week, including two Lonmin security guards and two police officers.

The EFF believes Ramaphosa, who held shares in Lonmin and was a non-executive director at the platinum mining company at the time, was responsible for the deaths of the miners.

The Farlam Commission of Inquiry, which was appointed by President Jacob Zuma to probe the shootings, cleared Ramaphosa, Shabangu and Mthethwa of any wrongdoing.

Malema said it was not correct to only implicate the National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega and Mbombo, of who the commission were highly critical of, as they were the “small fish”. He said the “big fish” were Ramaphosa, Mthethwa and Shabangu.

“The police must use… all records of Cyril’s phone calls and e-mails. You might find that he even made calls to the president.”

Malema said the families of the 34 mineworkers, who were killed must be paid R10 million each and the people who were injured must be paid R5m each in compensation.

The EFF leader said they would monitor the progress of the case on daily basis until those implicated were arrested and prosecuted.

Acting North West police commissioner Major-General Jacob Tsumane said the case would receive the necessary attention. – ANA

PICTURE: OUPA MOKOENA DETERMINED: EFF leader Julius Malema leaves Marikana police station after laying charges against Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, senior cabinet ministers and Lonmin yesterday.