The Memorial Lecture will be held in commemoration of the 34 mineworkers who lost their lives at the hands of the South African Police Service (SAPS) during a strike for better wage on 16 August 2012

11 August 2020, Johannesburg – The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) will host a memorial lecture on Thursday, 13 August at The Capital in Sandton ahead of the 8th Annual Marikana Massacre Commemoration on Sunday, 16 August.

The Memorial Lecture will further seek to examine the consequences of this tragedy and how its legacy serves as a reminder of the unremitting economic struggles of the country’s working-class.

The 8th Annual Marikana Massacre Commemoration which normally draws crowds of over 16 000 people at the Koppie in Marikana, will this year be held at a venue to be confirmed on Sunday, 16 August due to Covid-19 crowd restrictions. The Marikana Massacre Commemoration has become a significant annual event in AMCU’s calendar and has attracted global interest from international audiences and stakeholders.

In 2012 34 mineworkers were shot and killed by the SAPS at Lonmin’s Platinum operation (now Sibanye-Stillwater) in Marikana during a protest action by the mineworkers who were demanding a better living wage of R12 500.

The event sparked international condemnation and was immediately classified as a massacre and brutal response by the South African government on the plight of South African workers.