Precious Metal: Marikana film released online
16 August marked the sixth anniversary of the Marikana Massacre in South Africa, when security forces opened fire on striking mine-workers in the most lethal use of force by the South African state since apartheid.
Determined that the events should be known by the world and never be forgotten, women of the community group Sikhala Sonke returned to the site on the first anniversary to perform a play re-enacting what had happened, in front of the nation’s media and the people of the town.
This documentary about the making of the play, Precious Metal, was first screened by Pan-African television station VoxAfrica earlier this year, and was released online on 21 August to mark the sixth anniversary of the killings.
The film focuses on Primrose Sonti, who came to London with Thumeka Magwangqana in August 2017 to demand justice from British mining company Lonmin on the fifth anniversary of the massacre.
The 20 minute documentary filmed by Isis Thompson and produced by Tim Gee is below: