Events at Marikana in August and September 2012

→ Opening words from Roger Phillimore and Simon Scott

There is no way to begin our Annual Report this year without addressing the terrible events which
took place at Marikana in August and September.
The scenes which unfolded shocked and horrified all who witnessed them. They placed this
Company in the global spotlight and, crucially, they left the nation of South Africa seeking
answers to some of the most difficult questions it has faced in a generation.
Mining is a dangerous business. We are proud of our record of being the safest primary platinum
mining company in the world, but all of us who have been involved in this industry for years know
the pain of losing colleagues underground. Nothing, though, could have prepared the Lonmin
family for the loss of so many colleagues during the events which took place. Like the whole
nation around us, it will take a long time for us to come to terms with the tragedy that unfolded and
for normality to return. We have begun that journey, but it will be long and difficult.
In compiling our Annual Report this year, we faced a challenge in that the Events at Marikana are
so relevant to so much of our business that they could be mentioned in most sections of the report.
An Annual Report, however, is, by definition, a complex and technical publication, containing a
huge amount of information to help inform its shareholders.
For that reason, we felt that we should address Marikana immediately. Much has been written by
others about those weeks, some of it moving, some insightful but, sadly, much that is wholly
inaccurate. In reporting this year, we felt it was important to deal with that.
Of course, the issues around Marikana are the subject of an ongoing judicial inquiry in South
Africa. It is for Judge Farlam and his team, whom we support fully and completely, to establish
causes and examine effects, and we do not intend to do that here. It would be entirely wrong to do
so. However, some facts, sadly, are not in dispute in that before 16 August eight employees,
including two security guards, as well as two policemen were killed whilst on 16 August 34 people
were killed and many more injured.
Source: Lonmin Plc. 2012. Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 30 September 2012. 2–3. Available
at: https://www.annualreports.co.uk/HostedData/AnnualReportArchive/l/LSE_LMI_2012.pdf
1. What was Lonmin Plc? (2)
2. According to this report, who died at Marikana? (2)
3. In terms of the stages of HRM, in which stage did these events take place? (1)
4. Could you imagine these events taking place in any of the earlier eras? Give reasons for
your answer. (2)
5. This extract gives the perspective of Lonmin on the events that unfolded. Suggest how the
employees of this company might have seen these events. (3)
6. Why do you think these events occurred? (3)
7. How could their HR department prevent a similar set of events occurring in the future? (2)
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