Episode 108 - IS RAMAPHOSA RESPONSIBLE IN ANY WAY FOR THE MARIKANA MASSACRE?

A debate that's never been settled- and perhaps never will- is whether or not president Cyril Ramaphosa is liable for the deaths of 34 mineworkers in August 2012.He was a director of Lonmin, the mining company the workers worked for. In a series of emails with other leaders of the company, Ramaphosa described the mineworkers strike action as "dastardly criminal" and he promised to convey that sentiment to the security cluster within government so that "concomitant action" could be taken.A court found that there is no evidence in these Lonmin emails of Ramaphosa being liable for murderous action, either directly intentionally so or in terms of foreseeing the murder of the workers.But, as News24 specialist legal reporter Karyn Maughan points out ( https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/ramaphosa-has-case-to-answer-on-marikana-collusion-but-not-on-murder-of-miners-court-rules-20220705-2 ) this leaves open the question of whether, in terms of legal causation, the president may yet be liable for pressuring the police brass in a manner that resulted in the miners'deaths, setting the scene for them using excessive, lethal force. I invited Karyn to explain, explore and debate this particular complexity.We also asked a crucial non-legal question- even if Mr Ramaphosa is legally not liable in any way for the Marikana massacre, does he bear any other kind of responsibility, morally or politically? After all, legal questions do not exhaust range of questions about responsibility. Enjoy

Om Podcasten

On In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser I tackle all the uncomfortable topics that dominate public debate. With my reputation for fearless debate as a former World Masters Debate Champ, and a background in law and philosophy, you can expect debates on everything from whether or not it is racist for a non-black person to quote the N-word, to questions of how to tackle inequality, whether people are responsible for unconscious biases, the ethics of refusing to be vaccinated, the status of animals, debating books, and much more! The crucial differentiator of this podcast series compared to others is that it is fearless in its debate orientation, and no topic is off bounds! However, my motto is: "You are entitled to be treated with dignity .... but NOT to have your worldview affirmed!" So come with well-considered reasons for your viewpoints when you get YOUR chance to come on the platform to In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser