Ramaphosa is not a Marikana villain
Controversial e-mail to Shabangu cannot be interpreted as incitement
The most telling statement in Peter Alexander’s article on Cyril Ramaphosa’s involvement in the Marikana tragedy (Sorry, Cyril, Marikana apology is not enough) is: "His critics (me included) are very clear that his failure to insist on negotiations led to the deaths." This conviction appears to inform his reading of events, causing him to make bold claims of culpability without the evidence to support them. From e-mail exchanges between Ramaphosa and Lonmin management, it is clear that on Saturday August 11 2012, he received a report about an unprotected strike by rock-drill operators at Marikana mine. The following day, he received an e-mail from Lonmin’s management about violence at the mine in which two security officials were killed. They asked Ramaphosa to urge the government to increase the presence of police "to protect life and limb". Ramaphosa undertook to do so, explaining to the Marikana commission: "My motivation in so doing was to prevent further loss of life and injury...
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