Gold One Amcu standoff: Miners ’rounded up underground by people in balaclavas’

Supporters of trade union Amcu remain underground with around 477 miners in the second standoff between Gold One and the labour organisation in just over a month.

The Citizen first learnt about the incident at around 6am on Friday. It is unclear whether individuals held underground are held hostage or have voluntarily joined the protest action.

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Gold One chief executive Jonathan Hericourt told The Citizen there are 447 employees underground.

He said two employees who had “escaped” had claimed everyone underground was rounded up and herded to the same area by groups of balaclava-clad people.

At Gold One’s main employee entrance, also known as the ‘taxi rank’, gates were shut. Workers were toy-toying and singing protest songs outside.

“You cannot stop us, we will do what we need to do,” rang the chant, according to an employee that joined the hundred or so protesters outside the facility. Several carried sticks and knobkieries, another held aloft an axe nearby a man carrying a panga.

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“They were armed with various implements that are commonly available underground and there has been no communication since late last night,” said Hericourt of the alleged hostage takers.

He said the tools may include hammers, sticks and drill steel.

EWN quoted Gold One’s head of legal, Ziyaad Hassam, as saying Amcu had distanced itself from the latest incident.

It’s just a sit-in, said a female underground worker who did not want to be named.

The worker denied that Amcu had taken anyone hostage, and said the union’s gripe is not just with mining management, but with Numsa, the union presently recognised by Gold One.

According to her, those protesting were Numsa members but intended to join Amcu as soon as it had a recognition agreement in place.

She said staff believed Amcu supporters were being laid off by management in retaliation for a protest in October when 543 miners were held hostage underground.

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“We are taking disciplinary action against all employees involved in the first sit-in. As Amcu is not yet recognised, we can’t be targeting their members as there are no members,” said Hericourt in response to the accusations.

Earlier this week an in-house investigator at Gold One was brutally murdered in an apparent hit in Springs.