Update: Aureus protestors renew their efforts
A fresh round of violent protests has broken out at Busrep 2000.
Update 23 October: Reports of another violent protest outside the Busmark 2000 premises in Aureaus have been coming in since early this morning.
Protestors apparently started gathering outside the company at approximately 7am and there have been reports of shots fired and even of stabbings since.
Herald reporter, Mbali Mathebula is underway to the scene. Motorists are warned to rather stay away from the area.
22 October: Hundreds of workers at a prominent company in Randfontein have reacted violently to news that some of them have been summoned to appear at disciplinary hearings following the recent motor industry strike.
According to one worker, he, and other workers received notices to appear at hearings due to apparently partaking in unlawful strike actions recently.
“Management promised us that they would not take action against us,” says the enraged man.
“Now they come with these letters. We will not accept it.”
According to workers at the scene, things turned violent after a security guard allegedly opened fire with rubber bullets on the protestors.
“Everything was fine,” says one protestor.
“We were singing peacefully outside the gates and the next moment, we heard gunshots.”
One person who was in the middle of the crowd, was grased on the head by a rubber bullet.
“I did nothing wrong. We were peaceful and singing, when suddenly I felt a pain on my head. Only when I saw the blood on my hand did I realise that I had been shot.”
Angry workers then went ofn the rampage, pelting cars outside the company with stones and also damaging some of the busses in the company premises.
Some even broke down the main gate of another company up the street.
Police maintained a high level of visibility and had to interject when the crowd turned on one of its own who was suspected of being an informer for the company’s management.
Police also had to interject when a senior member of management stepped out of his offices and the crowd surged to confront the man.
Watch this space for more as this story develops.
With the huge shortage of jobs in S A it’s impossible to think how people can behave like this! My advice would be FIRE! Start replacing them with people who are praying for a work.