[ 2012-10-06 ]

S.Africa miners rally after 12,000 sacked
RUSTENBURG, South Africa (AFP) - Some of the
12,000 miners sacked by the world's largest
platinum producer in South Africa on Saturday
gathered to protest their dismissal and mourn a
colleague killed in clashes with police.

Around 100 miners started arriving at a stadium in
the northern town of Rustenburg, to debate how to
respond to the mass dismissal by Anglo American
Platinum.

"Last night I received a message to say I've been
dismissed because of the illegal strike," said
Mkhari, 23, who only started work two months ago.

"It's not right. I've a lot of debt, a child,
rent..." said his friend Mpoti, also 23.

Police armoured vehicles parked outside the
stadium, while a helicopter circled the area.

Meanwhile, in the nearby town of Marikana a union
branch leader at a different mine was shot dead
Friday evening, his union said.

"A branch secretary of the union at Western
Platinum was shot and killed at his house in
Marikana this (Friday) evening," said National
Union of Mineworkers spokesman Lesiba Seshoka in a
statement.

Unions have come under fire as workers reject the
traditional negotiation structures and accuse
their guilds of conniving with mine managers.

Around 28,000 Anglo American Platinum (Amplats)
workers have been on a wildcat strike for three
weeks at the firm's sprawling facilities in
Rustenburg, which account for around a quarter of
world platinum production.

Amplats on Friday said the miners failed to appear
before disciplinary hearings "and have therefore
been dismissed in their absence."

It is the latest crisis to hit South Africa's
vital minerals sector, which has been crippled by
a wave of violent disputes over miners' pay since
August.

The company said the strike had so far cost 700
million rand ($80 million, 60 million euros) in
lost revenue.

"Despite the company's repeated calls for
employees to return to work, we have continued to
experience attendance levels of less than 20
percent," Amplats said in a statement.

But with many miners unwilling to give up their
demands for higher pay and Amplats taking a tough
line, the spectre of violence looms.

In August 46 people died during a strike at the
Lonmin platinum mine in nearby Marikana.

"Things now are tuning to a point," said Gaddhafi
Mdoda a worker and activist, "they are leaving us
with no choice."

At least seven people have been killed around
Rustenburg in strike-related violence this week.

Late Thursday one miner was killed when police
used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse a
group of 300 illegal strikers protesting on a
hilltop close to the mines.

The independent police watchdog is investigating
the man's death "as the incident appeared to have
arisen from police action," according to police
spokeswoman Emelda Setlhako.

With around 100,000 workers currently on strike
across the country, President Jacob Zuma -- who
has publicly kept his distance from the crisis --
has called for the work stoppages to end.

"We should not seek to portray ourselves as a
nation that is perpetually fighting," he told
business leaders in Johannesburg.

Investors, already spooked by earlier violence,
warned Friday's dismissals could deepen a crisis
that has already paralysed an industry that
accounts for around 20 percent of the continental
powerhouse's GDP.

"The government is doing nothing," said Peter
Attard Montalto, a strategist with Japanese bank
Nomura, who warned the strikes had already shaved
0.2 to 0.3 percent off third quarter growth.

Analysts have warned that the strikers' demands
will result in job losses in the country where one
in every four employable people is already out of
work.

In February, Amplats' rival Impala Platinum fired
17,000 workers, only to rehire them a few weeks
later as part of a wage agreement.

Amplats on Friday indicated it was open to
"exploring the possibility of bringing forward
wage negotiations within our current agreements."

Source - AFP

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