The use of force by the police as a human security issue, with specific reference to the marikana massacre

Abstract

The Marikana massacre occurred on the 16th of August 2012. The incident involved several parties: Lonmin mineworkers; Lonmin Mine Company management; two unions (National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), African National Congress (ANC), South African Police Service (SAPS) and the media. The mineworkers were asking for a living wage of R12 500 per month and were demanding that the employer address them. Thirty-four miners were shot and killed by South African Police Service (SAPS) officers during the protest. The political alignment of the parties involved, appears to have influenced how the strike rapidly escalated into violence. An assessment of the strategic policing framework that existed at the time of the Marikana labour protest, the functions executed by the SAPS, and the civil-policing relations between the police and the protesting mine workers are the focus of this study. Furthermore, different perspectives about the use of force by police, as well as the contestation and debates on the use of force at the Marikana industrial action are outlined. The study concludes that the human rights that are proclaimed in the RSA Constitution seem not to translate into how the SAPS operate during policing of public gatherings, specifically the Marikana industrial action in this case. Findings about the use of force and key problems facing the police related to protest include the following: inadequate Public Order Policing (POP) operations training, lack of police accountability, police legitimacy negatively impacted, and ineffective restructuring. The massacre exposed weaknesses in the country’s legal system or perhaps a lack of change in the post-apartheid era within the SAPS as an institution and among its members. Recommendations made on how this gap between policy and practice can be bridged include the need for professional training on policing public gatherings and crowds; a public order policy (POP) framework implementation review and monitoring systems for accountability and oversight.