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Strike leader Mgcineni Noki, also known as the man in the green blanket, rallies miners in Marikana before his encounter with police that left more than 35 miners dead, shot by police.
- A former SAPS video operator burst into tears as he recalled how his colleague was beaten to death by striking miners three days before the Marikana massacre.
- Rapheso Masinya told the Northwest High Court in Mahikeng how Warrant Officer Seal Lepaaku died on August 13, 2012.
- Judge Tebogo Djadje postponed the matter for a few minutes for Masinya to recover.
A police video operator broke down in tears Tuesday as he recalled horrifying scenes of his colleague killed by striking miners three days before the Marikana massacre.
Retired NCO Rapheso Masinya told the Northwest High Court in Mahikeng that on August 13, 2012 he saw miners hacking his fellow NCO Seal Lepaaku.
“I was getting out of a car when I saw (former Deputy Northwest Commissioner Maj. Gen. William) Mpembe yelling that where the police are, they (the miners) are killing a police officer.
“The standard camera I was using couldn’t give me clear images as Mpembe was yelling that they were killing a policeman. I focused on the cop who was being hacked and the video could not be recorded due to distance.
“Mpembe was near the place where they were hacking the police, about 50 meters from where I was. At that time there were still no police helicopters at the site,” Masinya said.
“I saw with my own eyes how they attacked the officer. The video camera could not produce any recording when I zoomed in and the images were blurry. I saw a policeman being hacked by miners using dangerous weapons they were carrying.
“I can confirm that two officers were killed and one was seriously injured by the miners. I did not see Mpembe carrying a weapon. Petty Officer Seal Lepaaku, who was hacked by miners, was put into a car driven by Colonel Merafe. He is not a good man. spectacle to see a colleague being attacked, “Masinya said, sobbing.
Judge Tebogo Djadje suspended the session for a few minutes for Masinya to recover.
READ | Marikana massacre: trial postponed after court interpreter fell ill
The court heard that Lepaaku later succumbed to his injuries.
“I did not record when Lepaaku was being taken to a police van. At that moment, my mind was focused on other things that were happening on the ground. Lepaaku was too weak. It affected me emotionally because Lepaaku was my colleague.
“I saw a helicopter transporting NCO Baloyi to receive medical attention after he was attacked. I also saw a miner in handcuffs when I started filming. From there I saw NCO Monene lying on the ground injured.
“Monene was being assisted next to the helicopter. From there I went to a shack where I found a body of a lifeless man lying on the ladder, not two bodies as I said before. A spear was lying next to the body,” Masinya said. .
Mpembe and his former colleagues Salmon Vermaak, Nkosana Mguye, Collin Mogale, Joseph Sekgwetla and Khazamola Makhubela have pleaded not guilty to the murder and attempted murder charges.
Mpembe and Vermaak also faced charges for thwarting the ends of justice and another for giving false information under oath before the Farlam Investigation Commission on the Marikana massacre between 2013 and 2014.
The trial continues.
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