Shot miners were attacking co-workers - police

2012-09-03 16:53

Johannesburg - Police used rubber bullets to try and disperse a group of about 200 fired mineworkers who were attacking reinstated colleagues on Monday, police said.

"We can confirm that there were four people who were taken to the hospital after they were injured," police spokesperson Captain Pinky Tsinyane told AFP.

The violence erupted after fired workers, armed with traditional sticks and iron rods, gathered on Monday at the Gold One mine where they had been fired during an illegal strike in June.

"Some of their members were reinstated...these ex-mineworkers were attacking the workers who were reinstated in the mine," said Tsinyane, who said the crowd numbered about 200 people.

The mine is the latest to be hit by clashes which is still reeling after police gunned down 34 strikers last month in another illegal strike at a platinum mine where clashes had already killed 10 people.

In a statement, Gold One International Limited said a group of fired workers from the company and another liquidated mine had arrived at 06:30 at the entrance to its Modder East operations.

"Due to the illegal blockade approximately half of the company's employees were prevented from reporting for work," it said.

"The group did not present any memorandum of demands. The group blocked all access in and out of the mine and threw stones at vehicles that were attempting to gain access to the operations."

The police had used rubber bullets to try and disperse the group, the company said.

- AFP