Police reportedly open fire on striking miners armed with machetes and spears

[Quantum Theory]

Excessive force se gat. When the strikers use rubber pangas then bullets are excessive force. Those rioters were out for blood.
All the bleeding heart thug huggers must go show us how to calm down a bloodthirsty mob please. Will make for great TV.

Where did they suddenly come from? Calling these guys inexperienced platteland police, which their obviously not.

To the "thug huggers"... Check the last video in this thread. Not running away. Charging in formation. Police had no choice...

[Sinbad]

From what I remember two police officers tried that and got hacked to death.

Exactly. But the bleeding hearts always know better.
The strikers went out to battle. They made that choice. Why else did they go to a sangoma who promised to make the police bullets turn to water before they reached them...?
I am sick of violent strikes, intimidation and thuggery.

[marine1]

The more I see, the more I actually would prefer living in a place like China where the citizens, who actually have no fcking clue what they are talking about most of the time, are told what they can or cannot do and if they do not listen they get dealt with firmly and quickly

[chrisc4290]

The sangoma was hiding behind the hill, dispensing "bullet-proof" medicine. Uneducated miners from the bush will believe anything. R 12500 a month from the Union too, but no-one knows from whence this money will come

[greg0205]

I have this bridge for sale, you want to buy it?

Gary, watch the EWN clip again... The tear gas is fired by an officer on the police's right flank and a couple of seconds later the protesters rush in the direction of the police on the left flank... away from the gas.
Anyone who has ever been tear gassed will tell you, you don't hang about, you run, and worse still, you run blindly 'cos you can't see. The more I watch the clips, the more I am convinced that that's exactly what happened.
I also have to add, those SAPS weapons were on automatic... Maybe things have changed (a lot) but I was trained to fire on semi-automatic only back in my SADF days. The key word there is trained. When you heard "cease fire" you stopped firing. The officers at Lonmin seemed to have forgotten that or not known that in the first place... You can hear four or five voices shouting cease fire while the shooting continues.
IMO sad day for us and I think it'll get sadder when the enquiries results are in.

[saffakanera]

Gary, watch the EWN clip again... The tear gas is fired by an officer on the police's right flank and a couple of seconds later the protesters rush in the direction of the police on the left flank... away from the gas.
Anyone who has ever been tear gassed will tell you, you don't hang about, you run, and worse still, you run blindly 'cos you can't see. The more I watch the clips, the more I am convinced that that's exactly what happened.
I also have to add, those SAPS weapons were on automatic... Maybe things have changed (a lot) but I was trained to fire on semi-automatic only back in my SADF days. The key word there is trained. When you heard "cease fire" you stopped firing. The officers at Lonmin seemed to have forgotten that or not known that in the first place... You can hear four or five voices shouting cease fire while the shooting continues.
IMO sad day for us and I think it'll get sadder when the enquiries results are in.

I think you're right, its a pretty sad incident, a very sad day indeed. The rule to only use semi-auto makes a TON of sense, especially what has happened here.

[Sinbad]

I think you're right, its a pretty sad incident, a very sad day indeed. The rule to only use semi-auto makes a TON of sense, especially what has happened here.

The freakin rioters weren't holding back.

Lawlessness in this country got a kick in the nuts, I hope they kick a whole bunch more.

[marine1]

The freakin rioters weren't holding back.

Lawlessness in this country got a kick in the nuts, I hope they kick a whole bunch more.

Pretty much spot on.

[greg0205]

The freakin rioters weren't holding back.

Lawlessness in this country got a kick in the nuts, I hope they kick a whole bunch more.

We're going to have to agree to disagree there... The WHOLE country got a kick in the nuts there. Simple as that.

[Sinbad]

We're going to have to agree to disagree there... The WHOLE country got a kick in the nuts there. Simple as that.

The unions and rioters dealt that particular kick, remember.

[greg0205]

The unions and rioters dealt that particular kick, remember.

And you think pictures of armed South African police officers standing over corpses made it all better? Hit the PVR button for the rugby and go ask your parents about '61 and '76.

[marine1]

This falls squarely at the feet of
1) ANC - always backing down to Unions
2) Unions thinking they can do WTF they want

[Redeemed]

Gary, watch the EWN clip again... The tear gas is fired by an officer on the police's right flank and a couple of seconds later the protesters rush in the direction of the police on the left flank... away from the gas.
Anyone who has ever been tear gassed will tell you, you don't hang about, you run, and worse still, you run blindly 'cos you can't see. The more I watch the clips, the more I am convinced that that's exactly what happened.
I also have to add, those SAPS weapons were on automatic... Maybe things have changed (a lot) but I was trained to fire on semi-automatic only back in my SADF days. The key word there is trained. When you heard "cease fire" you stopped firing. The officers at Lonmin seemed to have forgotten that or not known that in the first place... You can hear four or five voices shouting cease fire while the shooting continues.
IMO sad day for us and I think it'll get sadder when the enquiries results are in.

Exactly, those people appeared to be cowering gingerly to the left of the police (because of the tear gas) before they were fired upon.... I don't know how on earth that movement is being called a "charge"?.
This was an unnecessary massacre.

[Garyvdh]

I bet that Sangoma had to quickly take a whole bunch of his own muti once they realised their guys got shot.

[Bundu]

yip, this probably a consumer commission issue