Hundreds gather for SA miner memorial

Local residents and mourning family members gather at a memorial service for 44 miners killed during a strike at a platinum mine in Marikana, South Africa.

Politicians and religious leaders also joined the service.

Earlier on Thursday relatives of the miners went to the scene of what is being called the Marikana massacre.

One man who lost his two children in the clashes held the government and the mining company responsible for failing to protect the workers.

(SOUNDBITE) (Xhosa) FAMILY MEMBER WHO LOST TWO CHILDREN, BABA GOLOZA:

"We are very, very hurt. I have also worked in the mines. I'm now retired, but we have never seen anything like this, killing children who have not done anything wrong. They haven't done anything wrong; they did not deserve to be killed like that."

Ten people had been killed at the mine days before police opened fire on striking miners last week, killing 34.

The violence was the worst such bloodshed in South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994.