Marikana Massacre and Strike Violence Post-Apartheid

Abstract

Introduction The massacre of 34 workers by the South African state police on 16 August 2012 almost two decades after the democratic transition poses questions about the workplace order and postapartheid dispensation. It raised pertinent questions on South Africa’s socio-economic and political order and the integrity of the industrial relations regime. This paper outlines the underlying socio-economic and political factors and how the workers understood this. Explaining the context is important as it helps account for the choices made by the different stakeholders.