Striking miners threaten to 'burn everything'

A report in The Times says the threat was made against the backdrop of almost two weeks of violence in which 10 people - including two security guards and two policemen - were killed before the shooting of 34 striking miners. Yesterday, miners marched on the main shaft at Karee Mine, outside Rustenburg, and gave management an ultimatum to stop all work at 1pm or face a new wave of bloodshed. 'We are here to collect the impimpis (informers),' said William Stone, one of the miners. 'We are here to collect those who continue to work. We are here to show them and you a lesson. If this mine remains open, there will be blood. We will show you how serious we can be.' Stone added: 'When we come back tomorrow no one must be here. Nothing must be working. If it is, we will burn everything. We will burn down the mine, those who continue to work here and any cars,' Stone said. The strikers claim they earn R4 500 a month after deductions and are demanding a take-home salary of R12 500. The number of workers who reported for work yesterday plummeted to an all-time low, with Lonmin reporting a 4.5% workforce attendance at all shafts. Full report in The Times

The striking workers rejected the notion of a peace pact until their demands were met. 'We don't want to hear anything about a peace accord. We want R12 500 and the closing down of that shaft,' worker representative Xolani Nzuza told the miners after talks with management, says a report on the News24 site. 'We told them if they don't close the mine shafts we will make them ungovernable,' he is quoted as saying in a report on the IoL site. 'The management is trying to divide us and coaxing some of you to go to work.' Lonmin said it was 'willing to negotiate wages, in the right manner'. 'Violence and intimidation have no place in bargaining. We are working hard to reach agreement with all parties through the peace talks. All of us must condemn violence,' it said. Full report on the News24 site Full report on the IoL site

Media reports on the Marikana shootings were irresponsible, the SA Policing Union (Sapu) said yesterday, according to a report on the News24 site. 'This tendency of selling newspapers, or looking for more viewers at the expense of legal processes, is totally unacceptable,' Sapu president Mpho Kwinika said. He said the media should stop its one-sided and unconfirmed reporting of what happened at the mine during the shootings. 'We find these continued reports unfair and disrespecting the due processes that are probing the unfortunate incident.' Kwinika added: 'We are not trying to hide anything as the truth will come out; however, we are concerned about the sustained due influence that wants to portray the police as trigger-happy, who just shot at harmless people.' Full report on the News24 site

Meanwhile, trade union Solidarity has laid criminal charges against former ANCYL leader Julius Malema, for inflaming tensions at mines hit by unrest. Malema has capitalised on violent strikes in the mining industry to take pot shots at enemies like President Jacob Zuma and push his radical views on nationalising mines, notes a report on the News24 site. Solidarity laid charges of incitement to public violence and intimidation against Malema at a police station near Pretoria. 'Violent protests at mines are not spontaneous. He encourages violence for his own gain. Malema is an opportunist who uses unrest to try to revive his political career,' said Solidarity spokesperson Johan Kruger. Travelling to troubled mines, Malema has fired up worker frustrations with calls for mines to be made 'ungovernable', on which Solidarity blamed this week's violence at a Gold One mine where rubber bullets were fired and four people injured. Full report on the News24 site