Deadly clashes at South Africa's Lonmin Marikana mine

Police in South Africa have opened fire during clashes with striking workers at the Marikana platinum mine, leaving at least seven people dead, witnesses say.

South African media reports put the death toll at 12 or even higher.

Police opened fire after miners carrying machetes defied an ultimatum to disarm, reports from the scene say.

The mine, owned by Lonmin, has been at the centre of a violent industrial dispute exacerbated by inter-union tensions.

Ten people had previously died as a result of clashes since the strike began last Friday.

The striking miners had gathered on a rocky hill near Marikana, the third-largest platinum mine in the world.

Some union leaders and police had tried in vain to disperse the crowd, some of whom said they were prepared to die on the hill.

During the clashes, missiles - thought to be either petrol bombs or grenades - were thrown at police, who responded by opening fire, eyewitnesses said.

Some reports said a group of miners had approached police lines before the shooting began.

One witness, Molaole Montsho, of the South African news agency Sapa, told the BBC police had first used teargas in an attempt to disperse the miners.

"The police threatened with them water from the water cannon, fired tear gas and stun grenades. And then in the commotion - we were about 800m (2,600ft) from the scene - we heard gunshots that lasted for about two minutes," he said.

He also said he had counted 18 bodies lying on the ground after the gunfire, but could not tell whether they were dead or alive.
Union rivalry

The recent violence was initially thought to have been triggered by a turf war between the long-established National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the newly-formed Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), which is more militant.

However, the AMCU has since demanded a pay rise of 12,000 rand ($1,500; £930) per month.

Lonmin said in a statement on Thursday that the strike was illegal and that any striking workers who did not return to work by Friday would be sacked.

The company said it had missed six days of production as a result of the unrest, and estimated it would lose around 2% of its normal yearly output of saleable platinum. The company's share price dropped by more than 6% on Thursday on the London Stock Exchange.

The violence has shocked South Africans, with many finding the scenes reminiscent of how the apartheid regime dealt with protests, the BBC's Milton Nkosi in Johannesburg reports.

Sagamite: Well done, South African police!

I stand in ovation!

When people behave like barbaric animals, kill them like mere barbaric animals.

Slaughter them. Cretins!

fstranger8:

Mr. plagiariser. Na here you dey?

Olodo, dumbomite. Cant write, cant think, calls himself intellectual god. Ode. You need to go learn about comma splices ASAP. Retarrddddd

Sagamite: Well done, South African police!

I stand in ovation!

When people behave like barbaric animals, kill them like mere barbaric animals.

Slaughter them. Cretins!

fstranger8:

Mr. plagiariser. Na here you dey?

Olodo, dumbomite. Cant write, cant think, calls himself intellectual god. Ode. You need to go learn about comma splices ASAP. Retarrddddd

naijacutee:

You are a embarrassment. Human life does't mean anything to you?

Sagamite: Well done, South African police!

I stand in ovation!

When people behave like barbaric animals, kill them like mere barbaric animals.

Slaughter them. Cretins!

naijacutee:

What an embarrassment. Human life does't mean anything to you?

phraze: Heartless Company. Shutdown the Company jare. They ordered the Shootin. The Workers had the right to protest.... Aparthied Police Men.

Lordave: The miners were wrong.

bittyend:

How 'were' they wrong? Some of you read sensationalism from the media and run away with it smh..

panafrican:
The A U ( african Union ) should get involved to fine the government of South Africa and expel the company from the continent. Zuma should also answer some questions.Period !

bittyend:

How 'were' they wrong? Some of you read sensationalism from the media and run away with it smh..

The majority of the striking mineworkers live in a squalid settlement adjacent to the mine, with no running water, reports AFP news agency.

"We can't afford a decent life. We live like animals because of poor salaries we are getting from there," said Thuso Masakeng, pointing at the gigantic site with towers belching smoke.

"We are being exploited, both the government and the unions have failed to come to our rescue. Companies make a lot of money at our expense and we get paid almost nothing," he said as he walked away from the hill top.

A report released on Tuesday by the Bench Marks Foundation, a non-governmental organisation monitoring the practices of multinational mining corporations, found Lonmin workers often live in deteriorating shacks without electricity.

Some children suffer from chronic illnesses due to sewage spills caused by broken drainage, the report said.

Lonmin, the world's third-largest platinum producer, threatened to sack 3,000 rock drill operators if they fail to end an illegal pay strike, its flagship mine 100km northwest of Johannesburg.

London-headquartered Lonmin's operations in South Africa accounts for 12 per cent of its global platinum output.

South Africa remains one of the world's dominant producers of platinum, gold and coal, with 80 per cent of known platinum reserves, but many of its workers still face abysmal salaries and living conditions.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/08/2012815173554808840.html

justwise:
Where do you get ur own news?