Rustenburg – The families who participated in a cleansing ceremony in Marikana this week were thanked for their role in the ritual, the North West legislature said on Thursday.

Police and security guards who participated in Monday’s ceremony should be thanked, speaker Supra Mahumapelo’s spokesman Mongezi Tsenca said in a statement.

“The speaker is happy that our communities and institutions are adding their effort to find closure to the tragedy… .”

On August 16, police shot dead 34 striking Lonmin miners at Marikana. Ten people, including two policemen and two security guards, were killed during the violent strike in the preceding week.

President Jacob Zuma established the Farlam Commission of Inquiry to investigate the deaths.

The Bojanala Platinum district municipality said on Monday that the ceremony was successful and that 40 families attended. Spokesman Archie Babeile said the ceremony involved the slaughter of sheep at the site where the miners were killed. – Sapa