Police in Marikana covering up: SAHRC
March 22 2013 at 11:59pm
By SAPA
By SAPA
REUTERS
File photo: A police
officer fires shots to disperse miners at Lonmin's Marikana.
Johannesburg - The police and their
management are covering up events surrounding the Marikana shooting, the SA
Humans Rights Council (SAHRC) claimed on Friday.
It accused national police commissioner
Riah Phiyega of failing to mention a statement by police officer Hendrich
Wouter Myburgh, which contradicted her assertion that police acted in
self-defence.
“At best, the national commissioner was
dishonest in saying that she had received no information to cause her to
question the truth of her press statement that the police had acted only in
self-defence,” SAHRC representative Bonita Meyersfeld, director of the Centre
for Applied Legal Studies, said in a statement.
“At worst, the fact that the police
have never mentioned this evidence is indicative of a deliberate cover-up.”
Phiyega told the Farlam Commission of
Inquiry investigating the events surrounding the shooting in North West on
August 16 that she stood by her stance that police acted in self-defence when
they shot the miners.
Approached for comment from Phiyega,
her consultant Makhosini Nkosi indicated this would be forthcoming before the
end of the afternoon.
However, no response had materialised
by early evening.
During cross examination of Phiyega at
the commission, evidence leader Mbuyiseli Madlanga read a statement into the
record by Myburgh about the shooting.
Myburgh said that after most of the
shooting had stopped, he found three wounded people on the ground on the hill
and continued to search for “other suspects”.
“I suddenly heard a gunshot behind me.
As I turned, I saw a NIU 1/8national intervention unit 3/8 constable who is
unknown to me putting his side firearm in his leg holster while he was standing
next to the injured...,” he said in the statement.
“I asked him 1/8the NIU 3/8 constable
what is going on. He replied by saying: 'They deserve to die' and he moved
away.”
The commission heard that the constable
could not be identified or named.
Madlanga asked Phiyega whether, if
Myburgh's evidence was indeed true, she would continue holding the view that
the officers fired shots in self-defence.
“I'm consistent in my view that, given
the sensitivity of the issue... I would be very, very cautious to answer such a
question... It is difficult to say on this or that hypothesis,” answered
Phiyega.
The commission's chairman, retired
judge Ian Farlam, warned Phiyega that her “deliberate attempt to not answer a
question” led to inferences being drawn.
Phiyega said she and her commanders had
wanted to understand what had happened, but Myburgh could not give them more
details to find or identify the NIU constable.
On August 16, 34 striking Lonmin mineworkers
were shot dead and 78 were wounded when the police opened fire while trying to
disperse a group which had gathered on a hill near Lonmin's platinum mine in
Marikana.
Ten people, including two police
officers and two security guards, were killed near the mine in the preceding
week. - Sapa
