North West - A group of protesters marched in Marikana on Monday as the judicial commission of inquiry into the mass shootings there inspected the scene.
One of the protesters, Spiwe Mbatha, said the community had come out to make a statement to the commission appointed by President Jacob Zuma.
“Whatever happened here is now being twisted and fabricated. The commission is likely to bring out an outcome already set,” said Mbatha.
“We do not have faith in whatever processes they are having there.”
A group known as the Marikana Support Campaign sent its members to stage the protest on Monday.
A co-ordinator of the group, Chris Molebatsi, said many other protests would be held in the future.
“We all saw what happened here, but now we think some people are going to get away with murder. All we ask for is justice for this community,” he said.
“We are not going to back down until our message has been received. We do not have faith in that commission,” said Molebatsi.
Police formed a barrier in front of the placard-waving men and women. The group of less than 100, including young children, sang and danced.
They carried posters reading: “Don't let the police get away with murder”. Their songs denounced Zuma as a “rapist”.
The three-member commission of inquiry was in Marikana on Monday afternoon to conduct an in loco inspection of places pointed out as relevant to its probe.
The commissioners were accompanied by legal representatives and the evidence-leading team.
Earlier, the commission's chairman, retired judge Ian Farlam, turned down requests by a lawyer representing 20 families of those killed to postpone the matter for 14 days.
Advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza said he wanted the postponement because families of the slain mineworkers lived in rural areas of the Eastern Cape and did not know the inquiry had started.
Farlam said he had been informed that the social development department was making provisions to bring the families to Rustenburg. - Sapa