South African prosecutors have charged 270 striking miners with the murder of 34 co-workers seen being shot dead by police in videos broadcast around the world.
Prosecutors have filed papers invoking a measure seldom used since the dying days of apartheid called "common purpose". They argue the miners were complicit in the killings since they were arrested at the scene with weapons.
Legal experts said the move will likely collapse when a court hearing bail applications for the 270 near the mine resumes sessions next week.
They criticised prosecutors for inflaming a tense situation by seeking a mass indictment that will eventually be rejected.
President Jacob Zuma and his ruling African National Congress have faced increasing pressure over the killings, which are the deadliest security incident since apartheid ended in 1994.
The government has launched an investigation into the killings, including the deaths of ten people ahead of the shooting at Lonmin's Marikana mine, northwest of Johannesburg.
It is withholding any police punishment until the investigation is over.
It is expected to be concluded around January.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate, a government watchdog, said it had received nearly 200 complaints from the arrested miners of being assaulted and abused while in custody.
Less than 7% of Lonmin's 28,000-strong South African workforce reported for duty yesterday as the platinum producer held talks with warring unions, attempting to cool tensions and bring people back to work.
The world's third-largest platinum producer has been forced to shut its mining operations for almost three weeks because of a violent dispute between the established National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU).
Talks to end the impasse in the platinum mining city of Rustenburg resumed yesterday.
