National
Lonmin guard: "It was impossible to halt crowd"─── 14:14 Mon, 28 Jul 2014
Pretoria - The Farlam Commission of Inquiry heard this morning that it was impossible for Lonmin mine security guards in Marikana to halt a crowd of protesting miners heading towards offices of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on August 11, 2012.
Julius Motlogelwa, of Lonmin's tactical response unit, was being questioned by Karel Tip, for the NUM and Aisha Fundi, at the inquiry in Pretoria. Motlogelwa said stopping the approximately 3000 protesters was impossible.
The guard said they had information that the huge crowd of protesters were planning to burn down a NUM office at Lonmin.
The commission is investigating the deaths of 44 people during strike-related violence at Lonmin's mining operations at Marikana, near Rustenburg in the North West, in August 2012.
Sapa
