Release of Marikana report a ‘vital step in the healing process’
The release of the report by the Marikana Commission of Inquiry by the president was a vital step in the healing process after the tragedy of Marikana‚ Lonmin said on Thursday.
Lonmin CEO Ben Magara said: “This report is about the 46 people who died in a terrible tragedy that took place in our midst between 9 and 16 August 2012 and for those they left behind. It is a milestone on the road to ensuring that such an event never‚ ever happens again in this country.
“While the report will generate painful memories for many people‚ it is all of our responsibility not to lose sight of our common humanity‚ not to destroy the good work already done‚ to conduct ourselves respectfully and with due restraint and empathy‚ and to provide support to those who need it.”
Mr Magara said that “as a company we have worked hard over the past two-and-a-half year years to build a more open‚ transparent and mutually trustworthy environment‚ and in the process make Lonmin a safer‚ better place to work.
“We have placed particular emphasis on living conditions and employee indebtedness‚ two burning issues that we believe will make a profound impact on the wellbeing of our employees. Much work has been done in this regard. This is in addition to the assistance rendered to the widows and children of the employees who died during that fateful week.
“While we can never replace their loved ones‚ we have offered employment opportunities to their families and every child of school going age is a beneficiary of the 1608 Education Trust. This is in addition to the statutory payouts from pension and life funds.
“Lonmin gave its full support to the commission. Its findings will need our detailed consideration before we take further action and before we provide our considered responses. We as a company have already moved a long way towards building a more open‚ transparent and mutually trusting environment. I cannot say that we have fully achieved this yet‚ but I can say that we have made progress‚ and we will continue to do so in conjunction with other stakeholders.”