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Police Bungling or Interference - Oscar Pistorius trial and Marikana inquiry

While most eyes were glued on the Oscar Pistorius trial, the Marikana commissions, which began 19 months ago continue their work. As the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius enters week three (day 11), bungled police evidence has left State prosecutor Gerrie Nel with a problem. The police investigation sounded in court like a catalog of bumbling, bad judgment, poor memory and petty theft. Former police Col. G.S. van Rensburg described how he found a police ballistics expert handling Pistorius' gun without wearing gloves and reprimanded the officer, who apologized and put a pair on. And he said he was "furious" when at least one of the Olympic athlete's valuable wristwatches disappeared from his bedroom as police investigated the crime scene. Concerning the Marikana commission of inquiry, the police may wilfully have tampered with the scene, the bodies and the evidence after the 16 August massacre in Marikana. This revelation emerged while crime scene investigator Captain Apollo Mohlaki was being questioned by evidence leader Mbuyisela Madlanga. His photos were taken after dark, and compared to those taken by other investigators during the day. The night photos show three bodies surrounded by weapons, yet those taken during the day (soon after the massacre) show that the men were not carrying weapons at the time of their deaths. Although Steenkamp's death is tragic and Pistorius's fall from grace shattering, it is the killing of 44 people at Marikana in 2012 that I so desperately want to understand. 19 months later, the answers are yet to come.

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