The Marikana Massacre: Local News Coverage
The Marikana Massacre was a tragic event in South African history, and local news coverage played a crucial role in informing the public about the unfolding events. This video examines how local news outlets reported on the massacre, highlighting the challenges they faced and the impact their coverage had on the public's understanding of the tragedy.
Anchored by Amy Brooke with Gershawn Coetzee on sport and Derek Van Dam on weather. See a young Chad le Clos and in depth reporting by Ben Said on the Marikana mining tragedy. Aired on August 18, 2012 on etv in South Africa.
The massacre occurred during an illegal wildcat strike at a mine in South Africa: although the initial strikers were primarily rock drill operators belonging to a workers union, the strike action was launched without their endorsement. The strikers sought a sizeable wage increase to be negotiated outside the existing collective wage agreement.
The massacre on August 16, 2012, was the result of the decision by South African Police to forcibly disperse the striking mineworkers, who throughout the week had gathered on a public hilltop. 17 people were fatally wounded. The vast majority of fatalities were killed by R5 assault rifles. The official figure for strikers injured during the shooting is 78.
The strike ended on September 18, 2012, when a collective wage agreement was signed which secured an average wage increase of 11% for Lonmin mineworkers. After six weeks, the strikers returned to work.
00:00: Intro
01:07: Top story
02:40: Community reaction to Marikana Massacre
04:23: Trade union rivalry
05:39: Other news
09:01: Video analysis of Marikana events
14:22: Other news
21:10: Chad le Clos
21:37: More news
24:50: Derek van Dam