Miners Shot Down

Rehad Desai's documentary delivers a powerful indictment, holding South African President Jacob Zuma and his government responsible for the so-called Marikana Massacre in August 2012, in which security forces killed 34 miners and injured many more while putting down a strike at a Lonmin platinum mine near Rustenburg. Miner Shot Down combines material Desai shot during the strike with news clips and footage taken by government sources (some quite graphic). Also included are interviews with surviving miners, some of whom were criminally charged, and lawyers for the families of the dead men, as well as excerpts from the hearings of the official commission established to investigate the event. The evidence presented by Desai strongly suggests that the police deliberately trapped the demonstrators and then employed lethal force, shooting some who were attempting to surrender, and others in the back as they fled (a compelling case is also made that it was police officials with close ties to Zuma who ordered the action). Desai compares the killings to similar events at Sharpeville and Soweto during the period of apartheid, suggesting that former racial divisions have been replaced by economic concerns, and that the leaders of the ruling African National Congress have become corrupt and no longer represent the interests of impoverished and exploited workers. While telling a specific story, Miners Shot Down also presents a general critique of revolutionary political movements that—once installed in power—embrace the self-serving aims and oppressive methods of those they previously fought. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)