Marikana Massacre: 2012 killing of striking miners by police in Wonderkop, North West, South Africa

The events happened in Marikana, a place in South Africa. South African police forces shot at miners, who were protesting. They injured 78 and killed 34 of them. Most of those killed were killed by rifles used by police forces. The event was the most lethal use of force by South African security forces against civilians since 1976. The massacre has been compared to the 1960 Sharpeville massacre.

The strike was considered a important event in modern South African history; similar strikes at took place at other mines across South Africa. These events made 2012 the most protest-filled year in the country since the end of apartheid.

The Marikana massacre occurred during a wildcat strike at a mine owned by Lonmin in the Marikana area, close to Rustenburg, in 2012. The event garnered international attention after a series of violent incidents between the police, Lonmin security, and members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on one side, and strikers on the other. The first incidents of violence were on 11 August, when NUM leaders opened fire on NUM members who were on strike. Two strikers were seriously wounded, but not killed, in the shooting by NUM members.

During the period from Sunday 12 August to Tuesday 14 August, 10 people were killed, including six mine workers, two Lonmin security guards, and two SAPS members. Three of the mine workers, and the two SAPS members, were killed in a clash between strikers and SAPS members on the afternoon of 13 August. The remaining five people are known to or believed to have been killed by strikers.