‘We don’t want another Marikana’ – Police step in as hostage situation unfolds

Police finally moved onto GoldOne’s Modder-East Mine in Springs, Ekurhuleni, yesterday afternoon after a two-day standoff between Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) members who hijacked the mine and were holding 480 hostages underground.

John Hericourt, spokesperson for GoldOne, confirmed that law enforcement had finally arrived in their numbers.

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“They eventually realised the gravity of the situation,” he said.

Prior to upping its presence, the SA Police Service (Saps) were just observing, he said. At the time of filing this report, private security companies and law enforcement were actively patrolling the property perimeter.

‘Nobody wants another Marikana’

“Nobody wants another Marikana,” said mine security expert and former police officer Marius van der Merwe of QRF Task Team.

“That is why law enforcement may have seemed slow to act, but machinations in the background would have been in full motion since the start of the incident.”

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The Democratic Alliance’s Ashor Sarupen added: “The absence of law enforcement presence in this situation is deeply concerning. Supposedly, the reason for the absence of law enforcement is that they have not been trained, which is an indictment on Saps.”

There are around 50 armed, alleged Amcu members underground holding workers hostage, said Van der Merwe.

A GoldOne staff member who did not want to be named added: “They told workers that if they came to work, they would butcher them.”

He said that industrial action had been expected, but that the hijacking of the mine was a complete surprise.

“What we don’t understand is how they (captors) managed to get through security and take ammunition down into the mine,” said Simone Janse van Vuuren, whose brother is among the hostages.

Janse van Vuuren and friend Zanri Gertenbach, whose partner is also trapped underground, were waiting at the mine yesterday, desperately seeking news of their loved ones.

“The last I heard from him was yesterday at lunchtime. They were able to send communication out until all contact was cut off,” said Gertenbach.

“At the time, he said he was okay. But now we have no idea.”

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Gertenbach said that her partner had confirmed he was being held against his will.

Amcu has denied that miners were being held hostage. The union claimed it was a “sit-in”.

At the personnel entrance, turnstiles were welded shut and union supporters and friends and family of hostages had gathered. The situation turned volatile for a moment when people attempted to push the fence over to gain access to the mine.

A paramedic who was stationed underground also remains imprisoned.

GoldOne obtains interdict

When GoldOne was allowed to send an additional medic underground to assist late yesterday, both the medic and the accompanying security officer were taken captive.

“We have subsequently sent medication underground as there are several employees who have chronic conditions that need assistance,” said Hericourt.

ALSO READ: Amcu accused of welding shut entry and exit points as miners held hostage

Additional first aid equipment and medicines were also sent down. But it is impossible to know whether or not it reached the intended recipients, he added. There are water supplies available in the mine and GoldOne is mulling how to get food to the captives. GoldOne also obtained an interdict overnight outlawing pending industrial action by Amcu.

Previously, said Hericourt, failed attempts to gain a strike certificate at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration left the union, which is not recognised by the company, without legal means to prompt members to down tools.

The National Union of Mineworkers is the only labour union with a recognition agreement in place there. Hericourt added that ministerial intervention might soon be needed to end the standoff.

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“Hijacking a mine and taking such a large number of hostages takes massive organisation,” said Van der Merwe.

“It’s frightening that organised labour would resort to criminal tactics to gain recognition at a workplace in an attempt to boot out the recognised trade union.”