Wonderkop Koppie in Marikana – North West, has become a reference of the struggle for a R12 500 basic salary.

Six years ago, on 16 August 2012 the South African Police Service opened fire on Lonmin Platinum mineworkers who were striking for the R12 500 basic salary. This fateful day forever became entrenched in South African history and came to be known as the Marikana Massacre.
This event has formed the cornerstone of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union’s (AMCU) notion that 16 August should be declared Worker’s Day. It was the lives of South African mineworkers that perished in the Marikana Massacre and that can never be erased from the history books.

It was (AMCU) regalia that dominated the commemoration event held in Marikana on 16 August 2018, where the slain mineworkers were celebrated and remembered for their selfless sacrifice. . AMCU President Joseph Mathunjwa along with members of AMCU’s leadership comprising of General Secretary Jeff Mphahlele, National Treasurer Jimmy Gama were joined by the widows and families of the fallen comrades at the commemoration event.