Marikana massacre survivor Mzoxolo Magidiwana is still haunted by the injuries he suffered when he was shot nine times by police 12 years ago.
Magidiwana, 35, says he still experiences pain daily. The father of two children is now employed as a general worker at Sibanye-Stillwater in Marikana, North West. He works in the mine’s transport department and lives with his unemployed brother in Marikana.
Magidiwana’s children, aged nine (boy) and one-year-old (girl), live with his wife at Nkanya village, near Elliotdale, in Eastern Cape.
Magidiwana was among 78 mineworkers who were injured during the Marikana Massacre, which took place on August 16, 2012 when police officers shot striking Lonmin Platinum workers resulting in the death of 34 mineworkers. The workers had embarked on an illegal strike, demanding to be paid at least R12 500 a month.
“The bullets were removed but I still experience pain. Sometimes I struggle to walk properly, and I am unable to go to work for a full week.”
He said he sees a private doctor about three times a month, adding that the mine foots his medical bills. “I cannot work when I am in pain because the type of work I do requires a person to carry and lift heavy stuff.”
At the time of the massacre, Magidiwana was employed at Lonmin, where he worked underground in the engineering department. He earned approximately R4 000 per month plus a sleep-out allowance of just over R1 000. It was his first job, which he started in 2011.
President of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) Joseph Mathunjwa said the widows of the slain workers have not yet come to terms with the tragedy.
“The healing is going to take time. The widows of those mineworkers who were killed are working at Sibanye.
“They use the shaft and lifts that their husbands used. You will never find healing in the same shaft that your husband was working in.
“When they are in that kind of working environment, where they see the koppie every day, where their husbands took their last breaths, they cannot find healing around that.”
Andries Nkome, the lawyer who represents 279 arrested mineworkers and 53 injured mineworkers in a class action against the government, said the claims of all the arrested mineworkers were settled in 2018 with the government.
Nkome said in 2022 they brought around 50 claims on behalf of the injured mineworkers, and all of them were settled, save for seven.
“Our initial claims were for unlawful arrest, detention and malicious prosecution and those claims were instituted on behalf of all 279 arrested miners.
“The state is yet to make offers for a very few of these [arrested mineworkers], while some few individuals have gone missing.”
Department of Justice and Constitutional Development solicitor-general Fhedzisani Pandelani told Sunday World on Friday the government has disbursed approximately R352-million in claims related to the Marikana Massacre.
He said the beneficiaries of these payouts included both the families of the 34 slain mine workers and the mineworkers who were injured or arrested during the incident.
“The Marikana matter has been ongoing for an extended period, and we cannot prolong it further,” he said.
