Grieving miner’s widow left ‘angry and still in the dark’

MMATUMELO Mohai travelled to her home in Maseru, Lesotho yesterday, weighed down by grief, to be with her family in the wake of the release of the Marikana Commission of Inquiry report.

Mohai, whose husband Telang was one of the 34 miners killed in the Marikana massacre in August 2012, was “too angry and still in the dark” to react to the Farlam Commission’s findings.

She’s been through so much pain in her ordeal, yet continues in the hope that one day someone will stand up and admit their deeds about her husband’s death.

“I don’t know what I will tell my children when I get home,” she said. “I am still in the dark and I wouldn’t want to talk about this right now, except to say our wounds will not heal until justice has been served.”

Musa Gwelani, a relative of another deceased Marikana miner worker, Thembinkosi Gwelani, said the families’ tenacious campaign for justice would continue both individually and collectively, despite the release of the commission’s report on Thursday.

He said Marikana’s bereaved felt emotions of loss, anger and failure of justice. “I had a smouldering anger threatening to erupt in me, listening to the recommendations of the commission. It shouldn’t be like this; we should be able to mourn. They took away our brothers and breadwinners. You can’t stop that hurt or anger until there is justice.

“They don’t know what we’ve been through. People died before our eyes and yet no one has gone to jail. Instead, we are told there will be an investigation to deter mine who should be charged. Why? This is too painful for us,” he said.

Mapule Keetse, a lawyer who represents the widows of Marikana, told the Saturday Star last night: “I haven’t had much time to chat to our clients, but what I do know is that they are very disappointed with the findings. We will meet with them once again on Sunday to figure out a way forward,” she said. – Additional reporting by Sameer Naik