While the African National Congress (ANC) celebrates the R170-million paid to victims of the 2012 Marikana Massacre, calls to bring those responsible to justice continue to ring out. 

On Wednesday, the party - while commemorating the 11th anniversary of the massacre when 44 people were killed during an unprotected strike by mineworkers at Lonmin's platinum mine in Marikana, the North West - dismissed as "opportunistic" the use of the massacre as "a political tool". 

Wednesday's statement by the ANC comes amid calls for the arrest of officers, including those who gave the orders to shoot, for the killing of the mineworkers. 

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema, through a statement published on the party's social media sites, said the workers were "executed live on television as a result of a toxic coalition between the state and Lonmin mine".

The ANC, in trumpeting what it said was its "progressive laws" that sought to "change [the] face of the mining industry and to guarantee miners' rights", said the government had done well to pay "reparations to the value of R170 million to the widows and families of the tragedy".

"The ANC condemns the usage of the Marikana tragedy as a political tool," the party stated.

"Insensitive and opportunistic populism and deliberate peddling of misinformation about the tragedy and its aftermath is highly regrettable. It is done at the expense of healing and national unity in a desperate attempt to gain political mileage."

The party, in mentioning the millions of rand in reparations, was alluding to the August 2021 announcement made by Fhedzisani Pandelani, an official in the justice and constitutional development's Solicitor-General's office, who said the government paid victims' families a combined R170-million.

On Wednesday, the NPA said it was working with IPID to "fast-track the finalisation of reaching a [prosecution] decision", adding the delays were due to its North West office being "challenged with unfilled vacancies, with limited prosecutors to study the voluminous docket". 

"The necessary resources were made available, and vacancies were filled," it added. 

The NPA said General William Mpembe, Colonel Salmon Vermaak, Constable Nkosana Mguye, Warrant Officer Katlego Sekgweleya, Warrant Officer Masilo Mogale, and Warrant Officer Khazamola Makhubela were facing murder charges for the death of "three police officers and two miners who died during the confrontation between the police and miners, preceding the incident of 16 August 2012". 

"The matter is before the [North West High Court], and the trial sat from 1 to 4 August 2023.

"It was postponed from 13 to 15 November 202 for further trial, and the State is expected to call on more witnesses to prove its case."