adminGeneral Riah Phiyega said yesterday.
She was testifying at the Marikana commission of inquiry, which is looking into the events at Lonmin’s Marikana mine including the deaths of 34 mineworkers in a shootout with police on August 16.
Gen Phiyega also responded to media reports that she had laughed when video footage of the shooting of the striking workers were screened before the commission last year. She denied laughing when the footage was shown.
“I reject (the claim) with every part and measure of my body and I am hoping that nobody’s name will be dragged like that and humiliated for no reason,” Gen Phiyega said.
She said what happened on that day was of serious concern to her and “I send my deepest condolences to those who lost life in this process”.
Gen. Phiyega said that between 2009 and 2012, the police had handled 33,521 public order incidents.
“Of these 30 326 were peaceful. The remainder of those (3 195) were not peaceful. When you average that out, the police dealt with 11 000 public order incidents and protests per annum. The vast majority of these incidents are resolved without incidents of loss of life and injury,” Gen Phiyega said.
Describing her involvement in the violent situation in the area, Gen Phiyega said she had received a call on the afternoon of August 13 from North West provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Zukiswa Mbombo informing her that violence at Marikana had escalated, resulting in the deaths of nine people, including two police officers.
“I gathered that information given at the time to be grave (enough) to cause me to travel to Marikana . . . I was in the Gauteng provincial office and the Gauteng provincial commissioner, Mzwandile Petros, decided to travel with me.”
Gen Phiyega said they arrived at the premises of Lonmin’s platinum mine later that afternoon and were briefed by the police in the North West.
She said police also met mine management, who informed the police that there were ongoing clashes between members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu).
She testified that representatives of the mine said the protesters were unknown to them, referring to them as faceless people.
The inquiry continues. – bdlive.co.za
leeroy