COSATU welcomes arrest for NUM shop steward's murder
The Congress of South African Trade Unions welcomes the news that two men were arrested today in Marikana for the murder of National Union of Mineworkers shopsteward Isaiah Twala.
SAPS North West's Brigadier Thulani Ngubane announced that the two suspects, aged 44 and 35, "were arrested for the murder of Mr Twala that occurred on August 14 last year, at a hill in Marikana", where he was shot and hacked to death. His body was found by police on the side of the hill with the skull of a bull.
The two suspects are expected to appear in the Garankuwa Magistrate's Court on Thursday. The Brigadier said bail would be opposed, as the two men were allegedly linked to other cases police were investigating. He claims that these latest arrests, over a year after the murder, bring to 27 the number of people arrested and charged with murders that took place before August 16, 2012.
It is not clear however over what period these 27 murders took place and whether they were in any related to the unrest within the mining sector, which is known to have claimed the lives of ten people, including two security guards and two policemen, in the week before the death of 34 people on 16 August 2013 at Marikana.
There have still been no arrests in connection with those 34 deaths, or others after that date. COSATU therefore repeats what is said in its Marikana anniversary statement, demanding the implementation of the Framework Agreement for a Sustainable Mining Industry, which committed all role-players to, both fundamental transformation of the whole mining industry, and immediate steps to stop the killings and bring those responsible to justice. These steps should include the setting up of special courts.
"A culture of impunity," we said, "remains throughout the area. Workers and communities live in constant fear. Our fundamental human right to move freely without fear of attack has been shattered."
Today's arrests are a small step in the right direction but the call by the NUM for "proper policing, investigations, arrests, prosecutions and convictions of those responsible for violence against NUM members or workers in general, is still as relevant today as it was a year ago".
Statement issued by Patrick Craven, COSATU national spokesperson, August 22 2013
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