South African businessman and former trade union leader, Cyril Ramaphosa. He has been criticized for his role in the recent police killings at the Lonmin Marikana mining facilities., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
The ANCYL and Malema's 'economic freedom fighters' have called for Cyril Ramaphosa to be arrested over his alleged part in the Marikana shooting.
24 Oct 2012 13:21 - Faranaaz Parker
South African Mail & Guardian
The ANC Youth League and Julius Malema’s group of "Economic Freedom Fighters" on Wednesday called for the investigation and arrest of prominent ANC leader and Shanduka Group chairperson Cyril Ramaphosa over his alleged involvement in the Marikana massacre.
Ramaphosa came under fire this week after it was revealed during hearings at the Farlam commission into the killings at Marikana that he had called for "concomitant action" to address the "criminal acts" of the striking miners, in an email exchange between Lonmin management and the ministers for mineral resources and police.
Advocate Dali Mpofu, acting for miners who had been injured and arrested over the period, said the emails were sent exactly 24 hours before people were "mowed down on that mountain".
A statement was released on Wednesday by expelled youth league spokesperson Floyd Shivambu on behalf of the Economic Freedom Fighters, calling on the police and the Hawks to "investigate and ultimately arrest Cyril Ramaphosa for his involvement in inciting violence and agitating for the killing of mineworkers who were protesting for a better wage and living".
The group said the Hawks had investigated Malema for inciting violence at Marikana, and the same should be done for Ramaphosa.
"Now we have real evidence of a greedy, gluttonous, insensitive, sick, arrogant and money-obsessed sell-out, who has agitated for the massacre of 34 workers, and Hawks must quickly act on him," said the group.
The group said that in the days after the shooting at Marikana, it had told workers that "the massacre was a result of political agitation by greedy individuals" and that "one of the beneficiaries of the sweat and blood of Lonmin mine's workers is the gluttonous Cyril Ramaphosa, who has altogether lost a sense of moral compass and is only concerned about self-enrichment".
They accused Ramaphose of trying to cover up evidence of his involvement in the massacre by promising to pay for the burial of the slain miners.
Meanwhile, the ANC Youth League also released a statement saying that Ramaphosa's email, prompted by a "preoccupation with the preservation of his monetary interests", had "delivered the more than 40 people to their death at Marikana".
"Marikana was a premeditated murder of our people and comrade Cyril has the blood of Marikana workers on his hands. Comrade Cyril Ramaphosa must apologise to the families of the injured and the dead for agitating and inciting the South African police against them," said the league.
The youth league called for a moratorium on all dismissals of mine workers and a return to order in the mining industry. At the same time, it said the call for nationalisation of the mines had never been more urgent.
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