WATCH: Miners at Gold One Mine resurface after 4 days underground
Miners who descended on Thursday evening refused to resurface on Friday morning.
Twenty miners are reported to have collapsed from hunger at the Modder East shaft of Gold One Mine ending the four-day sit-in.
The sit-in, which was fueled by the 72 dismissals amid union disputes, ended when the health and safety of the miners were compromised due to a lack of food and access to their chronic medication.
On Friday morning, miners who reported for night duty the previous evening refused to resurface in a bid to get the mine to look into their complaints.
AMCU representative at the mine, Hendrick Nchabeleng, said on Friday that they were waiting on the mine to address their grievances.
“We cannot have employees being dismissed for raising their grievances. All we are demanding from the mine is a date for the ballot where a new union representing the rights of the employees will be set,” he said.
Thembisile Njisane, one of the miners who was underground, refutes the allegations that it was a hostage situation.
Everyone who was underground was there voluntarily. We were all sitting underground demanding answers from the mine.
“There was no one under duress or assaulted in any way with the aim of keeping them underground, everyone was there of their own volition,” confirmed Njisane.
A journalist from the Springs Advertiser on the scene has reported that families have started to gather to welcome their loved ones at the mine’s main entrance.
ALSO READ: Gold One Mine AMCU miners demand mine halts dismissals
ALSO READ: Another sit-in currently underway at Modder East’s Gold One Mine
