Nigeria, Sept. 21 -- On August 16, 2012, the South African Police Service (SAPS) killed thirty-four miners while 78 others were injured. The massacre marked the deadliest use of violence by the South African security forces on civilian populations since the Soweto riots of 1976 and has been likened to the Sharpeville massacre of 1960. Their crime was demanding a basic monthly living wage of R12,500 (roughly $950 USD at the time), up from their monthly earnings of around R4,000 to R5,000. Their job was extraordinarily dangerous as they lived in squalid, impoverished informal settlements near the mine without adequate basic amenities.

Most of the killed miners were breadwinners supporting their family members in impoverished rural areas. ...