adminJohannesburg — Trade union Amcu and platinum producer Lonmin have denied knowledge of a hit list of miners who have agreed to return to work, City Press reported yesterday.The list, allegedly compiled by Lonmin, found its way to the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) and the National Union of Mineworkers (Num) and was apparently circulating in Marikana, North West.
Amcu leader Joseph Mathunjwa said he knew nothing about the list.
“All I know is we are in a strike and we are conducting it peacefully. None of the members at the head office know of any leaks in Lonmin.
The last we checked, Lonmin was sending SMSs to our members. That’s all the information we have,” he was quoted as saying.
Num’s Rustenburg secretary Sydwell Dokolwana told the paper that if one knew the right people, it was not impossible to compile such a list.
“We know from some of our people inside Amcu that the leadership gave clear instructions that people should report their neighbours if they were going to work,” he was quoted as saying.
Lonmin spokesperson Happy Nkhoma could not confirm if any information came from its offices. “We are indeed managing a database of the responses we have received from employees. This database is being managed and accessed by a small and select number of our most trusted managers,” Nkhoma was quoted as saying.
“The trade unions do not have any access whatsoever to this database and information.”
City Press reported that the names of three men, who were murdered last week, were on the list. It said five sources, from the police, Amcu, and the Num, confirmed the hit list was being used to send a message to those considering breaking ranks and returning to work.
Workers at Lonmin, Anglo American Platinum, and Impala Platinum have been on strike since January 23, demanding a R12,500 monthly salary. Lonmin recently approached its employees with its revised wage offer directly, bypassing Amcu, in a bid to end the strike.
Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Cape Town Thabo Makgoba has written a prayer for the platinum mining industry in response to the “current crisis” in the North West, the Anglican Church of South Africa said on Friday.
The prayer was for the use of Anglican parishes in South Africa yesterday, the church said in a statement. The text of the prayer, called
“A Prayer for Platinum Miners”, includes the lines:
“. . . We can’t kill and maim to sustain inequality . . . nor can we allow the fight for equality to kill others.
“May owners, investors and shareholders feel the pain and longing for peace, may workers and mine-owners find one another . . .”
The strike has cost the companies over R17.8bn in revenue and workers have lost more than R7.9bn in earnings, according to figures on Platinumwagenegotiations.co.za, as of Wednesday. — Sapa
derick.khumalo