North West Taxi Council spokesman Bernard Afrika said taxi operations to Photsaneng, Bleskop and surrounding areas had been suspended for safety reasons.

“We have suspended operations until the police restore order and it is safe to operate. The primary task of a taxi is to transport people,” he said.

Afrika said the two taxis were transporting people to work and other places when they were burnt.

“Not all the people in the taxis were going to the mines, some were children going to school and others were women going to clinics and other places. We cannot confirm whether they were going to the mine.”  

He said the passengers and drivers ran away when the taxis were stopped and later set alight.

“Striking mineworkers do not want people to go to work. They burnt taxis suspecting of transporting people to work. This is the second incident, during the Marikana strike, [that]... taxis were also set alight,” he said.

Spokesman for the workers Gaddafhi Mdoda condemned the violence.

“We do not know who is behind this. The violence is getting out of hand.”  He said criminal elements within communities near to the mines might have used the strike as a springboard to commit crime.

“We cannot afford to have more enemies, we already have enemies — the government, mine management and the National Union of Mineworkers — we cannot afford to have our brothers and sisters as enemies,” he said.

He said workers went to Bathopele Mine to stop it from operating.

“We want to shut this mine down, it is the only mine operating, ” he said  

Bathopele was the only mine operating normally following the illegal strike on September 12. Other components of Amplats operating normally were the concentrators, smelters and refineries.

Workers at Amplats went on an illegal strike on September 12, demanding a monthly salary of R16,000 and allowances.

The company fired 12,000 workers after they failed to appear in disciplinary hearing.

Despite the dismissal workers have vowed not to appeal and still regard themselves as Amplats workers.

On Wednesday, they marched to the NUM offices in Rustenburg to de-register their membership with the union.

- Sapa

Comments

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Thu Jun 20 11:16:58 SAST 2013 ::

Oct 11, 2012

RobinH

This is really very intelligent. Classic cut the nose to spite the face absurdity. Where do they think they will find work?
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Oct 11, 2012

warry

Make the country ungovernable and liberation first education later reality. Viva, next time they take kids out of classes and the white men's kid progress.
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Oct 11, 2012

cornelius

These guys just don't want to work but their wives will not allow them to resign, so they make another clever plan - force the mine to shut down, then they have an excuse to lie around the streets and shebeens whole day. Very nifty.
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Oct 11, 2012

DA-DBN-GUY

"Despite the dismissal workers have vowed not to appeal and still regard themselves as Amplats workers"

Retarded to say the least and these f00ls want increases that are not porportinate to their intelligence
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Oct 11, 2012

Shredder

And now they burnt taxis that belonged to someone. What is with this foolishness that is going on in the country?
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Oct 11, 2012

Shredder

RobinH - Where do they think they will find work?

What worries me is this statement "Striking mineworkers do not want people to go to work. "
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Oct 11, 2012

!!!Sinudeity!!!

Shoot the k1ll. Line them up, then fire.
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Oct 11, 2012

!!!Sinudeity!!!

200,000 mining jobs are going to be lost in the next few years.

Will they then demand R12,500 per month in grants?
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Oct 11, 2012

Catswhiskers

We have suspended operations until the police restore order and it is safe to operate,

You'll wait a long time!
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Oct 11, 2012

RobinH

Shredder. I completely agree. I am really loathe to suggest that those people are completely stupid, but really, their approach here is just completely insane. If people wish to work, it is their right. If the strikers choose to stay off with no pay, so be it, but why drag their colleagues and the entire country into their absurd dream world.
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