‘Marikana’ reloaded
Musical back by popular demand
Marikana: The Musical is back on stage. The award-winning musical opened on Friday night last week at the packed Drama Theatre at the SA State Theatre in Pretoria . Dignitaries in the house included Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Macdonald “KK” Ndou of Muvhango fame.
Marikana is a blow-by-blow account of what led to the killing of 34 striking miners in Marikana, North West, in 2012.
The miners were demanding better salaries and working conditions. The production paints a horrible picture of men who go into the bowels of the earth risking their lives, only to be paid peanuts. A few days before the real showdown, miners had made up their minds that they wanted nothing but R12 500 basic salary.
It’s a sad and tragic story but the music and dance uplift the mood. It opens with a scene of miners wearing overalls and helmets with their lights on. They enter the theatre through automation, lifting them from below to the stage as they chant the song Sizaba laze li liz we.
The audience responds with rapturous applause. The sad tale of the Marikana massacre then begins. It starts a few days before security guards are killed at the local Lonmin mine. Clad in their blankets and carrying sticks, nculas as well as pangas, the actors bring the story to life. The frustrations, pain and poverty are told through songs such as Ntsimbi, Marikana, Unyana Wam Ngeli Xesha and Dikolobe.
The musical features actors such as Aubrey Poo, Meshack Mavuso, Siyasanga Papu, Mathapelo Masilela, Simphiwe Mmekwa and Simphiwe Shakhane.
Marikana also emphasises the role played by Mgcineni Mambush Noki, who became known as “the man with the green blanket”. He is portrayed as a natural-born leader who was able to make 2 000 men listen to him.
Marikana is written and directed by Aubrey Sekhabi. It is adapted from the book Today We Are Going to Kill Each Other, written by seasoned journalists Lucas Ledwaba, Athandiwe Saba, Thanduxolo Jika, Felix Dlangamandla, Sebabatso Mosamo and Leon Sadiki.