Rustenburg - The families of the mineworkers killed in Marikana in August should receive financial assistance from the state to attend the hearings, the Commission of Inquiry in the tragedy heard on Monday.
Advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza, who represent about 20 families, said the families had indicated that they would want to be part of the hearings as well as inspection of the sites where their relatives died. He asked for the delay of the inquiry for a period of 14 days.
"They want to believe that if they can be part of this process it can assist them in the healing process. We believe that they should be assisted by the state to be here," he said.
Some of the families, whose majority reside in the Eastern Cape and Lesotho, did not even know there was a commission to probe the death of their relatives and on learning of the hearings they had requested to be assisted with transport to the proceedings.
SAnews understands that the Department of Social Development is in the process of assisting the families to attend the hearings.
Ntsbeza also requested a complete list of SAPS members deployed at Lonmin during that period. He wanted the names of officers/ officer who authorised the use of rubber bullets, live ammunition and razor wire. These would be made available to him.
Farlam was due to rule on the application to postpone the hearings after a brief adjournment.
