Michelle Staal, a Glenvista resident and an employee of Wireforce, in Brammer Road, Germiston South, had a horrific experience on July 21, when the factory where she works was attacked by striking Numsa workers.
“Owing to the strike, most of the office staff had been told to stay at home until the strike is over, but on Monday a few of us had been asked to go into the office to check up on some work issues,” Staal said.
“We were working in the factory offices when another member of staff ran in and told us Numsa strikers were making their way to Wireforce and weren’t far away.
“He told us to get our vehicles out of the yard and into the factory building as soon as we could.
“Most of us managed to do this and get back into the offices.
“Minutes later the Numsa strikers began to throw bricks at the factory.
“It sounded like a war zone as bricks and rocks were hurtled through the windows, breaking most of them in the process.
“One of our directors was hit by a brick on his head, leaving him cut.
“The men then tried to open the gate.
“The main factory gate had been re-strengthened after the last Numsa strike and parts of the gate had been bolted and cemented into the ground.
“The next thing we knew the striking men had managed to bend part of the gate and would have entered the premises if one of our staff members hadn’t phoned the police.
“Thank God, the SAPS arrived and fired rubber bullets to disperse the Numsa strikers.
“We were escorted to our vehicles and managed to leave unharmed.
“It was an extremely frightening experience, as we thought the men would get to us and the thought of what could have happened has really frightened me.”
