Pretoria - The government is implementing the Farlam commission’s recommendations, Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe said on Tuesday, the fourth anniversary of the killing of 34 miners in Marikana.
Police Minister Nathi Nhleko had established a team of experts to deal with public policing capacity, he told reporters in Pretoria.
Legal processes following the inquiry into suspended national police commissioner Riah Phiyega’s fitness to hold office were still underway.
Government was attending to other factors, such as inadequate housing for miners. President Jacob Zuma had established an inter-ministerial committee on the revitalisation of mining towns, including Marikana.
Just over R1bn had been budgeted for this. In January, Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu and Radebe delivered housing worth R190m to Marikana families, Radebe said.
Despite this budget, Amnesty International said in a recent report that platinum miner Lonmin was still failing to provide adequate housing for its workforce in Marikana.
The report, titled Smoke and mirrors: Lonmin's failure to address housing conditions at Marikana , indicated how things had not changed for the approximately 20 000 miners working for Lonmin at Marikana. Many were still living in squalor despite the company’s legally binding commitments to build more houses.
“The company's failure to improve employees' housing is baffling and irresponsible in the extreme. Lonmin is aware that dire housing contributed to the unrest four years ago that ultimately led to the death of dozens of miners," said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International's director for Southern Africa.
According to the report, in 2012 thousands of Lonmin employees were living in squalor in informal settlements around the mine at Marikana. In 2006, the company had committed to build 5 500 houses for workers and upgrade the single-sex, barracks-style hostel accommodation into family or bachelor units by 2011. By 2011 however, it had only built three show houses and converted just 60 out of 114 hostels.
On August 16, 2012, police shot dead 34 striking Lonmin miners, apparently in an attempt to disperse them and end their industrial action. Ten people, including two police officers and two Lonmin security guards, were killed in the preceding week.
Zuma subsequently established a commission of inquiry, chaired by retired judge Ian Farlam, to look into the matter. It found that no senior government officials, including Lonmin non-executive board member Cyril Ramaphosa, were responsible for the shooting. It however recommended a probe into Phiyega's fitness to hold office.
Zuma suspended Phiyega in October last year.
News24
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/govt-acting-on-farlam-recommendations-radebe-20160816
Police Minister Nathi Nhleko had established a team of experts to deal with public policing capacity, he told reporters in Pretoria.
Legal processes following the inquiry into suspended national police commissioner Riah Phiyega’s fitness to hold office were still underway.
Government was attending to other factors, such as inadequate housing for miners. President Jacob Zuma had established an inter-ministerial committee on the revitalisation of mining towns, including Marikana.
Just over R1bn had been budgeted for this. In January, Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu and Radebe delivered housing worth R190m to Marikana families, Radebe said.
Despite this budget, Amnesty International said in a recent report that platinum miner Lonmin was still failing to provide adequate housing for its workforce in Marikana.
The report, titled Smoke and mirrors: Lonmin's failure to address housing conditions at Marikana , indicated how things had not changed for the approximately 20 000 miners working for Lonmin at Marikana. Many were still living in squalor despite the company’s legally binding commitments to build more houses.
“The company's failure to improve employees' housing is baffling and irresponsible in the extreme. Lonmin is aware that dire housing contributed to the unrest four years ago that ultimately led to the death of dozens of miners," said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International's director for Southern Africa.
According to the report, in 2012 thousands of Lonmin employees were living in squalor in informal settlements around the mine at Marikana. In 2006, the company had committed to build 5 500 houses for workers and upgrade the single-sex, barracks-style hostel accommodation into family or bachelor units by 2011. By 2011 however, it had only built three show houses and converted just 60 out of 114 hostels.
On August 16, 2012, police shot dead 34 striking Lonmin miners, apparently in an attempt to disperse them and end their industrial action. Ten people, including two police officers and two Lonmin security guards, were killed in the preceding week.
Zuma subsequently established a commission of inquiry, chaired by retired judge Ian Farlam, to look into the matter. It found that no senior government officials, including Lonmin non-executive board member Cyril Ramaphosa, were responsible for the shooting. It however recommended a probe into Phiyega's fitness to hold office.
Zuma suspended Phiyega in October last year.
News24
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/govt-acting-on-farlam-recommendations-radebe-20160816