Murder charges against miners to be dropped

South Africa’s top public prosecutor said controversial murder charges against 270 miners for the killing of fellow workers shot dead by police, will be provisionally dropped.

“The murder charge against the current 270 suspects, which was provisional anyway, will be formally withdrawn provisionally in court on their next court appearance,” acting national director of prosecutions Nomgcobo Jiba told a news conference.

Thursday’s decision to charge the miners over the Aug 16 killings during a wildcat strike at the Lonmin platinum mine, in what was the worst police violence since the end of apartheid, had triggered outrage.