Creator

Sinazo Kunene

The aftermath: Widows and female dependants faced the immediate shock of the Marikana massacre, wrestling with bureaucratic hurdles for compensation while managing unpaid care work amid profound poverty. Photos: Paul Botes/File

14 AUG 2026

When freedom failed the mineworkers

Fourteen years after the tragedy at Lonmin’s platinum mine in Marikana, the 16 August 2012 massacre remains a significant event in South Africa’s democratic history. The state’s…

Sinazo Kunene
Lubabalo Cengani

8 min read