Major General William Mpembe’s family is planning a cleansing ceremony for the former North West top cop following his acquittal over the murders of five Marikana mineworkers in August 2012.
“For 12 years, this cloud has been hanging over his head. Spiritually and mentally, they tormented him,” Mpembe’s brother Simon Mpembe told Sunday World this week.
“We need to have something where all of us must come together and thank God. They humiliated him to hell. He needs to go and live a normal life like a human being. He needs to get his life back. We can safely say now the storm is over,” Simon said.
Mpembe, who was North West deputy commissioner during the violent strike that resulted in the deaths of 44 people in 2012, was on trial for five murder charges in connection with the deaths of three mineworkers, Semi Jokanisi, Thembelakhe Mati, and Phumzile Sokanyile, and two police officers, warrant officer Tsietsi Monene and warrant
officer Sello Lepaauku.
The incident occurred on August 13, 2012, in Marikana, where three days later, 34 mineworkers were killed.
Mpembe was later charged, in his capacity as head of operations, for instructing the police to fire teargas, stun grenades and rubber bullets, which led to the five deaths.
He was also charged with the attempted murder of six mineworkers and one police officer and defeating the ends of justice.
On Monday the North West High Court acquitted Mpembe on all charges.
Simon said the family had endured 12 years of grief and agony.
“The Farlam Commission cleared him. In 2021, Judge Hendricks found him not guilty regarding the Ipid Act, where the state said he failed to report Modiseotsile Segalagala’s death to Ipid. And now he is acquitted in all five murders and seven
attempted murders and the case that he has provided false information to the Farlam commission,” he said.
On that fatal day, a few days into the strike, mineworkers marched from the Karee shaft towards the K4 shaft of the Lonmin Mine to persuade others to join the strike. Before reaching the shaft, the mineworkers turned back to return to the koppie that they had occupied in Wonderkop. On their way back, the mineworkers were intercepted by the police.
Mpembe allegedly attempted to negotiate with the mineworkers, seeking to disarm them.
Simon Mpembe said his brother was used as a scapegoat.
He said the family will have a spiritual ceremony as a thanksgiving.
Mpembe’s acquittal was, however, not welcomed by the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (Seri), which represents the families of the victims.
“To date, the state has yet to charge anyone concerning the events of 16 August 2012.
“The families of the deceased mineworkers continue to wait for justice twelve years after the Marikana massacre,” the organisation’s executive director Nomzamo Zondo said.
Solicitor-General Fhedzisani Pandelani has revealed that government has paid more than R330-million in claims related to the Marikana tragedy.
