* This story has been updated.
Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has committed to releasing the report of findings into the 2012 Marikana massacre on June 30, the high court in Pretoria heard on Monday.
Zuma's legal representative advocate Hilton Epstein made this announcement during an urgent application that had been brought against the president demanding that he release the report immediately.
Miner Mzoxolo Magidiwana on behalf of the other nearly 300 injured and arrested miners and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) submitted the application last week demanding that Zuma release the report within 24 hours of the application being heard.
Epstein made this announcement after advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza said that his clients needed to be given a set date so that they could prepare themselves emotionally for the report.
Ntsebeza represents families of some of the miners injured or shot dead by police at Lonmin's Marikana mine on August 16, 2012.
Ten people including miners, security guards and police officers were killed in the preceding week.
"We are talking about families, who from day one... saw image upon image of their loves ones being gunned down by machine gun fire, by weapons intended for war," Ntsebeza said.
He requested that the president commit to a specific date. Judge Neil Tuchten then granted an adjournment to allow for Epstein to receive instructions from the presidency.
"It will be released on or by the 30th of June," Epstein said after the adjournment.
He added that the date could be set for June 30 to make it easier for those affected by the massacre to prepare sufficiently for its release.
Advocate Dali Mpofu, who represents many of the nearly 300 injured and arrested miners, was not willing to accept this undertaking by the president.
Earlier in proceedings, Mpofu said that the president had not given any valid justification as to why the report should not be released immediately.
“There's no justification that's been given to why we can't have it now, except 'I'm busy, don't rush me',” Mpofu said.
Mpofu argued that a month would have been enough time for Zuma to study the report, but that three months to do so was irrational.
The report was submitted to Zuma on March 31 by the Farlam Commission of inquiry which was set up to investigate the deaths in Marikana in August 2012.
Mpofu asked why it was necessary for Zuma to keep the report secret. He said it should be released as soon as possible in the interests of transparency and accountability.
Zuma would still be able to study the report and decide on a course of action after its release.
Mpofu pointed out that Zuma was quick to set up the commission of inquiry and therefore there should be no reason for him to delay in releasing the report.
“How can it be now at the tail end... he must now take three months just to ponder over the implications?
“Whatever the political implications of the report are, they are not going to go away, they're there,” he said.
The delay in the release of the report was causing the miners and their families considerable anxiety and in turn was affecting their dignity and need for closure.
The court room was completely packed, with miners, families of mine workers, Lonmin employees and Amcu members, who sat in the public gallery, on the floor and lined the walls.
During the tea break posters were held up in the court room with the words: “ Justice delayed is justice denied” and “Release the Marikana report now”.
The Star