From the conflicting accounts emanating from different quarters it is difficult to reach a conclusive response. The events that culminated in the death of 34 protesting mineworkers on 16 August, when officers of the South African Police Service (SAPS) shot at workers using live ammunition, were initially sparked by a rock drillers strike on 10 August. The rock drillers were demanding a more than 300 percent salary increase, from R4 000 to R12 500 per month.
The shooting incident resulted in one of the worst death tolls in violent protests since 1994. A total of 44 people have lost their lives, including 10 other individuals killed in attacks shortly before the deadly incident. In addition to the deaths, 78 people were injured and the police arrested 259 individuals. The only other post-1994 public protest recording a higher death rate was the 2006 security guard strike that resulted in 50 deaths over a three-month period. While President Jacob Zuma has declared a seven-day official mourning period, which should offer all a moment of reflection, the Lonmin management, in what has been described by some as crass insensitivity, issued the striking mineworkers with an ultimatum to return to work immediately or face dismissal. At the time of writing, the miners are mostly refusing to return, saying that it would be an insult to their colleagues killed during the police crackdown. At the present moment, the situation at Marikana is one of uneasy calm.
