Murder charges will be pressed against some mineworkers arrested for the bloody protests at Lonmin mine, the Ga-Rankuwa Magistrate’s Court heard on Monday.

The first batch of 39 men were brought into a packed courtroom under heavy police guard. The 40th man from the first batch was in hospital.

The court heard that 260 mineworkers were arrested following violent protests at Lonmin’s platinum mine in Marikana, North West.

Police shot and killed 34 people while trying to disperse protesters. Over 78 people were wounded. Ten people had already died in the week before the clash.

The prosecutor asked for a seven-day postponement, saying the ongoing investigations were wide and complex.

The investigation would allow the State to unravel what happened at the mine, and additional charges would be laid later. He said the probe would be complicated by the fact that some of the miners were immigrants. For someone to be released on bail, the State first had to verify their address.

The defence lawyer argued that the rights of the mineworkers had been infringed, as any arrested person was supposed to be brought to court within 48 hours.

The lawyer said where one slept after work could be regarded as home, so the mineworkers had verifiable addresses.

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