Rustenburg – The Farlam commission watched a police video on Monday taken on the day of the shooting of 34 mineworkers in Marikana, North West.

The footage, recorded by crime scene technician Lt-Col Cornelius Johannes Botha, ran for about 40 minutes.

Last week, Botha told the inquiry into the shooting he was told to get into a helicopter and film a police operation, not knowing what the operation was. Botha was taken to task for saying he had not captured protesting mineworkers being shot at by police.

Thirty-four miners were killed and 78 wounded in a confrontation with police on August 16.

On Monday, Botha asked for permission to make a statement to the commission.

“The last remark on Tuesday afternoon by Mr 1/8Dali 3/8 Mpofu was that he will bring a witness who was shot from the chopper,” said Botha.

“Two stun grenades were shot from the chopper I was in.”

Botha told commission chairman, retired judge Ian Farlam, that he had forgotten this detail, but remembered it after the proceedings adjourned last week.

He said a comment from Mpofu, the lawyer representing the 78 miners injured during the shooting, had triggered his memory.

Farlam asked him how many helicopters were in the air at the time. Botha said there were four.

Mpofu, who asked the commission to watch the video, asked to cross-examine Botha first, after the video was screened.

Farlam said all parties would be given the opportunity to cross-examine Botha again if they wanted to. – Sapa