Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Jeff Radabe said on Friday that the necessary arrangements were in place to enable the Marikana Commission of Enquiry to begin in earnest.

The investigation, which would be led by retired Supreme Court of Appeal Judge Ian Farlam, would probe events that led to the death of 46 people near Lonmin’s Marikana mine, in Rustenburg.

Public hearings were scheduled to start on October 1 and it was anticipated that the investigation would take four months to complete.

President Jacob Zuma established the commission shortly after clashes between police and striking miners resulted in the death of 34 miners, and leaving many more injured, on August 16. Ten people, including two policemen were killed in the prior week.

Radebe, speaking at a press briefing in Pretoria, confirmed that, besides Farlam, advocates Pingla Hemraj and Bantubonke Regent Tokota would be members of the commission, which would be based in the Rustenburg.

The commission had been given the authority to independently investigate the roles played by Lonmin, the South African Police Service, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union, and the National Union of Mineworkers. It would also examine whether the roles played by the Department of Mineral Resources, or any other government department or agency, during the unrest, were appropriate and consistent with their duties and obligations.

The behaviour of individuals and groups would also come under the spotlight, as the commission determined whether they indirectly or directly promoted a situation of conflict or confrontation in the run-up to the violent outburst near the Marikana mine.

The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development had allocated an initial R22-million to ensure that the commission could become operational. But it expected that a further R44-million to R50-million would be required to enable the commission to operate effectively and fulfill its mandate.