Police provoked miners, says Bizos
April 2 2013 at 02:12pm
By SAPA
By SAPA
George Bizos during
the public hearing of the Marikana Commission of Enquiry to investigate the
Marikana tragedy at which 44 people were killed and scores injured. File
picture: Dumisani Sibeko
Rustenburg - Crowd-control experts
would testify that police conduct had provoked striking Marikana miners, the
Farlam commission of inquiry heard on Tuesday.
“Acts of force, like what happened
here; putting a razor wire (between police and protesters) was or can be
considered highly provocative,” said George Bizos for the Legal Resources
Centre and the Bench Marks Foundation.
He was questioning national police
commissioner Riah Phiyega about events that led to the fatal shooting of 34
miners at Marikana, North West, on August 16 last year.
Bizos contended that a heavy police
presence and their use of water cannon, tear gas, and stun grenades without
warning had escalated the situation.
Phiyega denied this and said the police
presence was meant to calm the situation, not escalate it.
“Visible policing should be a
deterrent,” she said.
Police had plenty of experience in
handling protests and had dealt with more than 33,000 protests in recent years.
A video clip depicting North West
police commissioner General Zukiswa Mbombo was played for the commission.
In the clip, Mbombo said: “We will ask
them (the miners) to leave. What I am saying is that today we are ending this
matter,” said Mbombo.
In the clip, she said she would not
disclose what the plan of action was.
Bizos asked Phiyega what the secret
plan was and whether it had been related to Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa.
“The responsibility of the dispersal
lay in the hands of the provincial commissioner... We don't report to the
minister on everything,” said Phiyega.
“It's not the type of information I
would communicate with the minister... The operational duties are not the
responsibility of the minister.”
Phiyega said controlling the situation
was part of her duties and that of the provincial commissioner.
Bizos asked why August 16 was marked as
“D-day” to disperse the protesters.
“Why didn't they wait a day or two and
continue with negotiations?”
He also wanted to know why Bishop
Johannes Seoka had not been given a chance to address the miners before the
shooting.
“According to a report I received,
there was an agreement that on August 16 there would be a handing in of weapons
on that day,” she said.
The public hearing in Rustenburg
continues.
It forms part of the commission's
inquiry into the Marikana events. - Sapa
