ALON SKUY
Marikana 2012/2022
On 16 August, 2012, 34 striking mineworkers in Marikana, South Africa, were killed, and 78 injured, in what was the deadliest use of violence by the South African security forces against its own civilians since the Sharpeville massacre of 1960, and the demise of the heinous system of apartheid in 1994. In total, 44 men lost their lives throughout the strike. The reason for the so called ‘Wildcat’ strike, is that the miners were fighting for a ‘living’ wage, the amount a meagre R12,500.00. per month (approximately USD 750).
Mining’s migrant labour system and its legacy continues to be pervasive with many men supporting their families back home.
The Marikana Massacre, a ‘watershed’ moment in the country’s young democracy, has had deep and long-lasting reverberations in South African society. The devastating effects of inter-generational trauma persist more than a decade on, with traumatized family members and the community still living under the weight of the tragic event.
