JOHANNESBURG -  Malema was the first major public figure to address the thousands of miners gathered outside Marikana in North West province after last Thursday’s massacre.

 He told them on Saturday that police had no right to fire the live bullets that killed 34 of their colleagues.

  He said the reason police  shot at workers was to protect the interests of ANC national executive council member Cyril Ramaphosa.

 The ANC, however, dismissed Malema’s views as just those of “a member of the public”. Speaking to The Citizen yesterday, ANC national spokesman Keith Khoza declined any further comment.

“We are not going to respond to Malema because he is a member of the public.

“Members of the public express their views on a daily basis and we do not respond,” Khoza said. “Some members of the public attack the leadership of the ANC and raise concerns, but we have never responded.”

Malema was scathing in his criticism of Zuma and Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa.

 “President Zuma presided over the massacre of our people: he must resign,” he said. “Mthethwa must also resign because the police shot people under his command.

“He must resign because he failed in executing his duties,” Malema said. He urged striking Lonmin workers to form their own workers’ union.

“Lonmin had a high political connection; that is why our people were killed. They were killed to protect the shares of Cyril Ramaphosa,” Malema said.

He told the gathering it was amazing that Ramaphosa was able to buy a buffalo forR18 million but he could not pay the workers the R12 500 a month that they demanded.

“Organise yourselves and form a militant union. We want leaders who will not sell you out. We thought we can give the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) a chance, but NUM has proved  that it has no intention to defend the workers.

“It has intention to make more money through their investment companies. I’m sending condolences to the families of those who were killed here,” Malema said.

NUM spokesman Lesiba Seshoka hit back, saying: “It is regrettable that Malema has become a commentator on NUM. He is frustrated by the failure of his political career and he wants to extend that failure to NUM.”