By Tania Page | From Aljazeera  via All Africa

Marikana will haunt South Africa’s Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa for the rest of his career.

Ramaphosa revealed on Thursday in parliament that he’s been summoned by lawyers representing the victims of Marikana – they insist he’s to blame for the police shooting 34 striking platinum miners in 2012.

Ramaphosa was a director and shareholder at the Lonmin platinum mine at the time of the massacre.

He was involved in an email exchange with the ministers of mineral resources and police in which it’s alleged he pressured them to take action.

This was all before Ramaphosa became deputy president. But he was cleared by the Farlam Commission of Inquiry into Marikana.

Ramaphosa has always denied any wrongdoing and has instructed his lawyers to defend the action.

The families’ lawyers haven’t said anything on the summons publicly yet, but their feelings are well known.

Grim milestone

The Farlam report, released in June by President Jacob Zuma, mostly blamed Lonmin, the police and unions for the “tragedy”. But no one really thought that would be the end of it.

The National Police Commissioner has been suspended over her handling of it and it is looking like she’s the one who’ll take the fall.

What happened at Marikana was a grim milestone for South Africa.

Read more at All Africa