Mrazane

This AMCU union must be held responsible for this bloodshed. There was decison by the courts recently which held unions for any damage to property incurred during their strikes, so surely you can extend the principle to the loss of lives, the leadership of the union must charged.
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Mabenito

18 Dead In 3 Minutes? What e'hell is going on?
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musa.moses

This is barbaric, the person who gave the order should be held fully responsible! May their souls rest in peace.
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Solm

These miners want an increase from R4000 to R12500.I doubt this will happen.
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Fistos

People must stop depending on unions when it comes labour issues because all they do is to encourage their members to go out there and protest which leads to loss of life, damage to public property and loss of productivity.
Representatives should be able to negotiate for this people without using them as human shields.
If they ask or force you to toyi toyi then you must know that they do not have the ability to negotiate and should not be representing you.
Condoloenses to the family of the guys who lost their lives, but next time do not put your lifes at risk just to satisfy useless union guys.
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Sane1

Biting the hand that feeds them!They are a big embarrassement to their families - these miners. Are we still in the stone cave age?
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defacto69

Just watched the TV footage - Since when do the SAPS have the right to use their weapons on FULL AUTO - Untrained IDIOTS !!!
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TheTrueWord

SA is burning all over. Unfortunately no one is taking any responsibility.

Quote from Chinua Achebe: "Things fall apart".

And these seem to be just prelims.
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defacto69

This is REVENGE by SAPS - So many are dead because the Police used full auto weapons - This illegal in Civilian Crowd Control. SAPS Officers responsible must face Murder charges.

It is wonderful that it was caught on camera and the whole of SA saw it.Lets see them try and deny their disgusting illegal actions.
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Nyongoyamavenda

but Soweta has become a shadow of itself,Mkhabela has failed this newspaper you now have to go to other sources to find the real story i can do better than sowetan jounalist

Here is whta happen from mail & guardian
The strikers were wielding pangas and chanting war songs. Police fired teargas and then used a water cannon to disperse the strikers, who retaliated by firing live ammunition at the police.
Ten people, including two policemen, have died in nearly a week of fighting between rival worker factions at the mine, the latest platinum plant to be hit by fallout from an eight-month union turf war in the world's main producer of the precious metal
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Kgomoyaphokeng

We call it life, RICH get bail - poor get bullet! no right to refuse working for her majesty the QUEEN EVEN IF YOU CAN WORK 40YRS IN THE MINE YOU REMAIN POOR. Zuma smiling - Lephega next wife on a job well done
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Solm

I think those cops who mawed down people like that with live bullets will have questions to answer.The footage is very graphic.The legality of the police actions need to be assessed.
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Mellow

"It is extremely regrettable. We hope a full investigation will be done and hope the perpetrators will be brought to book."We are saddened and regret this further loss of life which has just happened, bringing roughly the total number of deaths to 30," said general secretary Frans Baleni
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So sad *smh* war-zone

@Solm Aint gonna happen since the cops claim that workers shot at them first

May their souls RIP
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Shredder

Mellow
@Solm Aint gonna happen since the cops claim that workers shot at them first
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What were the cops supposed to do, runaway? What I saw on TV looked like the police defended themselves. You can't arrest someone who is attacking you. You have to defend yourself first then you can arrest when the subject has been neutralized. I heard that yesterday they chopped 2 policemen with axes. There was no way the police were going to take risks with their lives. Maybe too much firing is condemnable, but how much is too much?
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Shredder

Solm
These miners want an increase from R4000 to R12500.I doubt this will happen.
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I also doubt it. It is not practical. More than 100% increase???
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Solm

@Shredder

Its more than 200%
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uMnuz

POLICE SCUM, THEY'RE JUST BARBARIC. ITS SHOOT FIRST, THINK LATER.
Heartless,Cruel,Trigger Happy idiots....... I am disgusted.
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16-12-1838

Another 'remarkable' day in the history of our country, Sharpeville memories come to mind...only this time the blame sits firmly on the doorstep of another 0ppressor...The glorious ANC and all their criminal cronies!

Congratulations to all those, past and present, that have empowered and fuelled the runaway locomotive of our self-destructive gravy train - South Africa's unions! Brainwashing the poor and desperate with their deceiptful lies of economic freedom and nationalisation, while they sit back in the comfort of tax or trade union subscription sponsored fraudulant lifestyles and repeat the toast - "The leaders will now enjoy the champagne, and of course they do so on your behalf through their lips"

It should now be crystal clear to everyone what the intentions of these criminals are! All those empty promises, institutional corruption and blatant lies - all these things that have enriched the new pirates captaining our ship - are finally coming back to haunt them and us, cutting new deeper scars into the fragile fabric of our long suffering society.

Mark my words...this is just the beginning of the worst period in our history...unless ALL of us can put aside our differences and truly come together for the first time in our bl0odthirsty past - as one nation, to finally emancipate ourselves from this evil that has always plagued us. Let us collectively rid ourselves of this destructive and greedy minority that has always lead us, in one form or another!

Educate those less fortunate, spend a little time uplifting your neighbour but most of all believe in yourself and work hard...for it is us that truly holds the p0wer and only us that can make that change for the better...Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika

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Tango

Those miners were very stubborn and dangerous as well and therefore they left the police with no choice but to defend themselves.Sowetan is not reporting this story fairly like other newspapers.


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Ompas

I also condemn the killings and feeel sorry for the families of the dead,but from the clip that i saw,they guys brought this upon themselves,they already killed 2 policemen and the police were acting on self defence,these guys were3 charging at cops and cops didnt have any alternative but to defend themselves,
When this guys come to the mines,they are given contract with trems and they agree to this but hardly a year into the work,they make rediculous demands,The rock drill opreators are given basic salary and then they are given a drilling bonus as per holes drilled per day and they are given the monthly bonus when the are achieve target given to them.
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Siphe15

Where has anyone heard of this much increase, solution is to close that mine and they go starve themselves to death. Others don't even know how to write their names.They unreasonable they make me angry.Nx!!
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