...early 2013 at the Farlam commission of inquiry, investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths of 34 miners at Marikana. Witnesses giving evidence, in particular mineworkers, were being murdered or attacked with a frightening frequency. One witness was attacked after leaving the commission and beaten until he soiled himself. Another, after his name was published in a local newspaper, received death threats, closed his shop, and left town. One lawyer at the commission put his witnesses up in hotels for the duration of their testimony, at his own expense, in a last-ditch attempt to stop the killings. Many were under subpoena, although others stepped forward, and, unlike Johnson and his wife (witnesses in the Pistorius case), their testimony was broadcast live on Youtube. They were not granted the courtesy of a court order protecting their identity, in spite of the obvious threat, which Judge Ian Farlam expressed deep concern about. The only option available to the Farlam witnesses was to be assimilated into the National Prosecuting Authoritys (NPA) witness protection programme, an impractical solution for many workers who had families to support. - Mail & Guardian
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 18:09:01 +0000