JUSTICE campaigners descended on mine owners as they met in London this morning, seven years after the massacre of 34 striking mineworkers at the South African platinum pit in Marikana.

Members of the Marikana Solidarity Collective (MSC) gave fiery speeches outside a crunch annual general meeting of Lonmin, the British-South African company behind the 2012 tragedy.

Reading out the names of the 34 striking @LonminPlc mine workers who were killed on 16 August 2012 @WarOnWant @Lonmin_BASF #MarikanaMassacre #endcorporateinpunity pic.twitter.com/O9b61mD9QQ

— LondonMiningNetwork (@londonmining) March 25, 2019

Campaigners are alarmed that Lonmin executives are scheming to sell off the company, which they say could let perpetrators escape justice.

Speaking ahead of the protest Bishop Jo Seoka said: “The workers and community of Marikana are worried that when Lonmin disappears as an entity, no-one will be held accountable for its crimes against them and their environment.”

The massacre occurred after South African police opened fire on the striking miners.

Another multinational mining giant, Sibanye-Stillwater, is poised to takeover Lonmin despite a chequered history of worker fatalities.

Dozens of Sibanye-Stillwater staff perished in 2018 while the company made over $100 million (£76m) in profit, according to the MSC.

As many as 12,600 jobs at Marikana are also threatened by the takeover.

The collective continues to demand the release of all jailed AMCU members, prosecution of the massacre’s architects who they say include Lonmin executives, and reparations to affected parties.

A lawyer for imprisoned mineworkers, Andries Nkome, said: “Compensation should be fully implemented in relation to the widows.”

Although platinum is most commonly used in catalytic converters to reduce air pollution from cars, it is estimated that over a third of South African miners suffer from the fatal lung disease silicosis because mines lack proper ventilation.

Campaigners say that Lonmin exceeded dust pollution and sulphur dioxide limits every year up to 2012 without receiving any sanctions.