S. Africa to Drop Miners’ Charges

The 270 miners who stood accused of the deaths of fellow strikers under an apartheid-era law have had their charges provisionally dropped, prosecutors say. Under the controversial law, the miners were charged with the deaths because they had allegedly provoked the police into opening fire during a protest at the Marikana mine, where workers demanded increased pay and the right to form a new union. “Final charges will only be made once all investigations have been completed,” prosecutors said. Six of the miners who were to be charged remain in the hospital.