The court case involving 270 Marikana miners has been postponed until next year. The miners are charged with public violence and illegal possession of dangerous weapons.

The case was postponed to allow the Marikana Commission to conclude its work.

The accused appeared briefly in groups of 12 at the Ga-Rankuwa Magistrate’s Court, north of Pretoria. They were arrested after the August 16 Marikana police shooting which left 34 mine workers dead.

They were initially accused of killing their 34 colleagues, but those charges were withdrawn last year.

“In relation to, for example the issue of possession of dangerous weapons, the police have also confirmed that no specific weapon could be linked to any of these people,” says the miners’ representative, advocate Dali Mpofu.

Family members of those killed came to give them support while the case was postponed to May 20, 2014. However, an optimistic Mpofu believes the charges will be withdrawn before that time.
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