More than 400 mineworkers have been trapped underground at the Gold One Mine in Springs for over a week, with disturbing allegations emerging of forceful confinement, physical assault, and racial bias.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has reported that some of the miners are being stripped and routinely beaten, with white miners being specifically targeted.
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The mine’s head of legal, Ziyaad Hassam, previously described the situation as both a hostage situation and a sit-in, as some miners were showing solidarity with the 50 workers who were retrenched for their involvement in an earlier sit-in.
However, Victor Ngwane, the regional organizer of the NUM, stated in an interview with broadcaster Newzroom Afrika that there was no voluntary sit-in taking place, but rather a hostage situation marked by severe flogging and racial discrimination.
According to Ngwane, all the miners underground are being held against their will, with no management present to address the situation.
He further revealed that white miners were being subjected to humiliation, including being undressed and whipped periodically. The perpetrators allegedly believe that by targeting white miners, they will gain attention from management and the government.
Ngwane recounted an incident over the weekend where a severely beaten white miner emerged from the shaft, completely naked.
The perpetrators left him by the station and called for the cage to bring him back to the surface. The NUM reported that the white miner had a note threatening to kill people if food was not sent underground within two hours.
Ngwane emphasized that black miners are also facing assaults underground. During Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe’s visit to the mine, he witnessed the heavily assaulted white miner.
In an interview with Newzroom Afrika, Mantashe confirmed the NUM’s description of the situation as a pure hostage situation and stated that the police have now taken over.
Mantashe expressed his concern, saying, “Once you begin to beat people up, it means they are held hostage. They are underground against their own will, and therefore it should be dealt with as an offense that requires police intervention.”
He also mentioned that the perpetrators sent a threat, believed to be from the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), demanding certain issues be addressed within two hours, or else a miner would be thrown down the drain and killed.
The situation at the Gold One Mine has escalated to a disturbing level, with allegations of racial violence and a hostage situation.
The safety and well-being of the trapped miners must be prioritized, and immediate action needs to be taken to ensure their release and protection. The police intervention is crucial to putting an end to this deplorable situation and holding the perpetrators accountable for their actions.
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