Life in Marikana has worsened since 2012 tragedy, says resident
While preparations are under way to mark the 10th anniversary of the Marikana Massacre, residents have hit out at the lack of transformation in the small mining town in the North West.
MARIKANA - While preparations are under way to mark the 10th anniversary of the Marikana Massacre, residents have hit out at the lack of transformation in the small mining town in the North West.
Several residents have told Eyewitness News that the deaths of the mineworkers in 2012 was in vain.
As we drive into Marikana, we soon leave behind the city lights.
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It's a bumpy drive through kilometres of gravel, further and further into a semi-rural town.
Where we are lucky to find tar roads in the town, but they are riddled with potholes.
We’re competing with taxis, trucks and buses carrying mineworkers to the nearby mines.
Schools are few and far between, a lone police station and barely anything else other than supermarkets.
The shacks closest to the infamous koppie at the Nkaneng informal settlement show little significance to the history of the area.
One community member said that life in Marikana had become worse since 2012.
"When you go around there, the water leaks everywhere," the resident explained.
Another community member accused local government of neglecting the town.
"If something is broken from 2012 until now, it means that that something is more broken because no one has fixed it," the resident said.
Leaders in the community have amplified calls for better service delivery, infrastructure upgrades and development of the local economy.
WATCH: Marikana community: Nothing has changed since the massacre
