‘Attempt to hide Marikana facts’

PRETORIA: There was an attempt to hide an incident in which Lonmin security guards shot rubber bullets at striking Marikana miners from the Farlam Commission of Inquiry, an evidence leader said yesterday.

“My first concern is that there appears to be a deliberate attempt to hide the fact from this commission that the Lonmin security fired rubber bullets at the NUM (National Union of Mineworkers) offices on August 11, 2012,” Matthew Chaskalson said at the inquiry’s hearings in Pretoria.

He was cross-examining Lonmin security risk manager Dirk Botes about discrepancies in the events recorded in occurrence logbooks.

Botes said security guards who testified at the inquiry should have been asked about the firing of rubber bullets. The commission chairman, retired judge Ian Farlam, said there were discrepancies in the versions presented by mining company Lonmin which needed explaining.

“What was concealed from the commission is that there was a full version of the Lonmin OB (occurrence book) which was not put before us.

“We were given an abbreviated one, with that entry (of the August 11, 2012 shooting) and other entries deleted from it.

“Those are matters, presumably, that will be explained in due course,” said Farlam.

Chaskalson also said it was strange that Lonmin did not have video footage of the violence at the NUM offices. – Sapa