South African prosecutors have provisionally dropped murder charges against 270 miners whose colleagues were shot dead by police.
The charges cannot be dismissed formally until the end of the inquiry, but prosecutors said all detained miners would be freed.
Local authorities used a controversial apartheid-era law to accuse the miners of provoking police to open fire.
The killing of the 34 striking Lonmin miners shocked the nation.
State prosecutors charged 270 miners with murder under the "common purpose" doctrine.
The rule was used by the white-minority apartheid regime to crack down on its black opponents, and at the time was opposed by the now governing African National Congress.
Lawyers had asked President Jacob Zuma to reverse the decision.
But he said in a statement earlier that he would not intervene in the case.
Hours later, acting national director of prosecutions Nomgcobo Jiba held a news conference and announced the charges would be scrapped.
"Final charges will only be made once all investigations have been completed," she said.
"The murder charges against the current 270 suspects will be formally withdrawn provisionally in court."
BBC News - Marikana mine strike: South Africa to drop murder charges
The charges cannot be dismissed formally until the end of the inquiry, but prosecutors said all detained miners would be freed.
Local authorities used a controversial apartheid-era law to accuse the miners of provoking police to open fire.
The killing of the 34 striking Lonmin miners shocked the nation.
State prosecutors charged 270 miners with murder under the "common purpose" doctrine.
The rule was used by the white-minority apartheid regime to crack down on its black opponents, and at the time was opposed by the now governing African National Congress.
Lawyers had asked President Jacob Zuma to reverse the decision.
But he said in a statement earlier that he would not intervene in the case.
Hours later, acting national director of prosecutions Nomgcobo Jiba held a news conference and announced the charges would be scrapped.
"Final charges will only be made once all investigations have been completed," she said.
"The murder charges against the current 270 suspects will be formally withdrawn provisionally in court."
BBC News - Marikana mine strike: South Africa to drop murder charges