“Mantashe ropes in colleagues to help deal with violent mining strike” 17 March 2019

The protracted strike by members of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) which has already claimed nine lives at Sibanye-Stillwater operations in Carletonville is proving to be a headache for Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe, who has now called in the help of Cabinet colleagues in the labour and police portfolios. A member of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), which has not endorsed the strike, was ambushed in a hijacking last week when four men set up barricades on the road from Blybank, one of three Sibanye-Stillwater operations in the area.

… Shezi said: “The main priority for the ministers is to bring back a sense of normality to the area. Ordinarily, a strike is supposed to be settled between the labour unions and the management through a process of collective bargaining. It is concerning that this strike has been protracted and led to incidents of violence and death and the minister would like to see the strike resolved as soon as possible.” Shezi added that Mantashe had requested Minister of Police Bheki Cele to intervene in Carletonville in the West Rand to restore order and safeguard the safety and security of the community. “The strike at Sibanye-Stillwater, which began in November 2018, has become violent, impacting negatively on communities in the area, with nine deaths reported thus far and an estimated 62 houses burnt down,” Shezi said. “The minister of police is expected to visit the area in the next few days.”

“These killings must be probed. We believe there is a third hand responsible for the killings. Whoever gives the orders for these killings must be arrested, then we’d have got to the bottom of the problem.” Montisetse said only NUM members had been targeted in the killings. He added that the only solution to the killings “will come from the people who are killing others”. “They must just stop the killing,” said Montisetse. He said more police needed to be deployed to the area. Contrary to Amcu’s claims that it is the majority union, NUM insists this honour belongs to it… The Ministry of Mineral Resources respects the right of workers to protest,” Shezi said. “The right to strike must be exercised in a non-violent manner and the rights of non-striking workers must not be hindered.”