Bongani Hans and Sapa
police used tear gas yesterday to disperse striking miners from the Forbes Manhattan Coal processing plant in Dundee in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
According to police officers, the workers were protesting outside the processing plant of the Canadian-owned mine for the second day running.
The miners have been on strike at the mine since October 17.
The protesters had tried to prevent security guards from Mbube Security arriving at the plant on the outskirts of Dundee.
Police spokesman Jay Naicker said they had had to act because the protesters had been blocking the road.
Meanwhile, President Jacob Zuma repeated calls for all striking miners to return to their posts.
Speaking in the National House of Traditional Leaders in Parliament, Zuma said that although workers were free to exercise their rights, this should be done within the law.
“Let me take this opportunity to reiterate that violence and intimidation must come to an end in those areas where strikes are still continuing,” Zuma said, adding that there was no need for “chaos and anarchy”.
“We urge workers to return to work and use the constitutional mechanisms of conducting labour relations.”
On Wednesday police said two striking miners had been shot after security guards had allegedly chased them from Forbes Coal’s Magdalena mine in Dannhauser, 25km away, into an informal settlement.
Mbube Security managing director Stuart Cumming denied that the guards had chased the miners. He said a group of strikers had tried to storm the magazine where mine explosives were stored.
“The first attack was warded off without any violence after police used loudhailers, asking them to leave the area near the magazine that was outside the picketing line,” he said.
March
“Several more attacks were made on the magazine, with the last one a decoy that saw the group split up.”
The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) and the National Union of Mineworkers said they would march on the mine’s office in Dundee today.
“There are those who are saying we should fight for economic freedom in our lifetime. They are right… this coal is in our land and we should benefit from it,” said Amcu national treasurer Jimmy Gama.
NUM regional organiser Lucky Zama accused the police of neglecting their responsibilty by failing to prevent Wednesday’s shooting.
“We are ready to fight. Once we lose unity our fight will lose power,” said Zama.
Forbes Manhattan said that mining operations at the Magdalena mine had been suspended.
Chief executive Stephan Theron said: “To ensure the safety of all employees and to safeguard our assets, we have taken a decision to suspend all operations until such time as they are deemed safe and appropriate.”
Theron conveyed condolences to the families of those killed.
Two counts of murder are being investigated and the police have seized firearms from guards to determine who fired the fatal shots.
Bongani Manyoni, KwaZulu-Natal NUM secretary, said he had been shocked by the deaths.
Manyoni said that the miners had initially demanded a minimum salary increase of R3 000 for the lowest-paid workers, but through negotiations had modified their demand to an increase of between R1 500 and R2 000 a month.
He said the mine owners had been offering an 8.5 percent increase.
The lowest paid miners were earning R3 800 a month, which meant the company offer amounted to an increase of less than R400 a month.
