The Marikana Commission of Inquiry: An Ambiguous Experiment with ‘Truth’ and ‘Justice’

ABSTRACT The Marikana Commission of Inquiry was established to investigate the events of 16 August 2012, when the South African Police Service shot and killed 34 striking mineworkers at the Lonmin Plc platinum mine. Conceived as a standard commission of inquiry to examine the circumstances surrounding this ‘tragic incident’, widely referred to as the Marikana massacre, the Commission adopted the official motto ‘Truth, Restoration, Justice’. This motto echoed the discourse of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a quintessential transitional justice body. This article analyses the Marikana Commission of Inquiry through the lens of transitional justice, despite its establishment occurring long after South Africa’s transition to democracy. It interrogates the appropriation of transitional justice discourse within the Commission, highlighting fundamental ambiguities in its role and objectives. By situating the Marikana Commission within the broader landscape of truth and justice ‘experiments’ addressing (post)colonial state violence, the article argues that while the Commission attempted to expand its focus to encompass transitional justice goals, its overly legalistic approach to truth-seeking and perfunctory engagement with victims ultimately undermined its restorative potential.