Two policemen have said that officers were following orders from senior commanders when they opened fire on striking South African mining workers in 2012.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the officers criticised the police tactics used to break up the demonstration at the Lonmin PLC platinum mine near Marikana.

One of the officers said police were told to "shoot to kill" by their superiors if they felt they were in danger.

He said police were instructed that "if your life is under threat, or your colleague's life is under threat, therefore you shoot to kill".

He added: "That is my interpretation."

Asked by reporter Alex Crawford to confirm that senior police commanders told officers to "shoot to kill," he added: "Yeah, I think (so)."

He added: "We did what was instructed to us. We just followed orders."

Another policeman said: "We did what was expected from us. We followed the instructions.

"I guess we did not want those people to be killed in the first place."

Thirty-four people died during the massacre on 16 August, 2012.

An inquiry has called for an investigation into the officers involved in the shooting, describing the police operation as "defective".

Families of the victims have accused police of using excessive force.

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma said the government-appointed panel's report recommended prosecutors determine whether any officers are criminally liable for the deaths.

"The commission recommends a full investigation under the direction of the director of public prosecutions... with a view to ascertaining criminal liability on the part of all members of the South African Police Service who were involved in the incidents," he said.

Mr Zuma described the killings as a "horrendous tragedy that has no place in democracy," adding that the world did not expect such an episode in a "free and democratic South Africa".

In the days leading up to the attack, 10 others were murdered near the platinum mine, including non-striking miners, security guards and two police officers who were hacked to death.

Mr Zuma said the inquiry has recommended that all killings prior to 16 August should also be investigated.

"We should, as a nation, learn from this painful episode," he said.

"We should use it to build a more united, peaceful and cohesive society."