As the inquiry into the deaths at the South African Marikana mine, where 34 workers were killed by police during a protest, the police said that they regretted the deaths of the workers. The police also acknowledged that their response to the event might have been too much, however they also said that the shootings were a last resort and were done in self defense. The police also said that some officers fired without being told to do so. The inquiry into the deaths is part of an effort by the government to quell unrest over the shootings.
See "S. Africa police voice 'deep regret' for miner deaths", October 21, 2012