Police reportedly open fire on striking miners armed with machetes and spears

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Zyzzyva

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Marikana - Police reportedly opened fire on thousands of striking miners armed with machetes and spears near Lonmin's Marikana platinum mine on Thursday, and a Reuters witness said he saw at least seven bodies lying on the ground.

Police at the scene said they had been trying to negotiate with the striking rock-drill operators massed on a rocky outcrop near the mine, but the talks had failed.

AP reports it was unclear what ammunition police used to break up the strikers at the Lonmin [JSE:LON] platinum mine. News TV images showed people lying on the ground, one with blood flowing from a wound.
Police Capt. Dennis Adrio, a spokesperson for the officers at the mine, declined to immediately comment. Journalists at the scene said several of those shot were laying on the ground and were not moving.

The protest and ensuing violence, which began a week ago, has killed at least 10 people there, including two police officers. It's also drastically affected production at the mine.

Earlier Sapa reported that National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) claimed there is a hit list targeting members of the union at the mine.

The man found dead on Tuesday in an open veld near the mountain where striking workers had gathered was a National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) shop steward, the union's president Frans Baleni said on Thursday.

"We know that the list consists of shop stewards and branch members at Lonmin," he said

Ten people have been killed in violent protests at the mine in Marikana since Friday.

Baleni said three of them were NUM members, and one was a member of the United Association of SA (Uasa).

Last Friday, thousands of rock drill operators started an illegal strike and a protest march.

Two police officers and two security guards are among those killed.

The striking workers are demanded a salary of R12 500 a month for all workers. They currently earn R4 000 a month.
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http://www.fin24.com/Companies/Mining/Lonmin-Witness-sees-seven-bodies-20120816
 
Fully justified it seems.... these guys won't hesitate to kill a police officer as had already been shown earlier this week.
But I fear this is just going to make them more angry.
Might have to kill a few more before the message starts sinking in. :(
 
12k a month for unskilled labour? WTF are they smoking? There are skilled junior devs at my employer who earn less than that!

I'll be very interested to see what happens when such unskilled labour is replaced by robots that can do the job faster and better.
 
R12,500 a month? There are qualified people who don't even earn that!
 
On eNews right now and their cameras were there when things happened... Hectic footage being shown. Miners fired first.
 
This is not going to turn out well.

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Best news today. They got what they deserved, who brings weapons to a strike??!! Did they really think it was going to end well for em? They already killed 2 policemen as well. Bastards!!
 
I've been at a strike where the striking workers were beating casual labourers with knob kieries whilst they were on the back of a bakkie. The department managers were strapped with hand guns and one pulled out his silver 9mm right in front of me and the strikers all backed off.

Scary sheet!!!!!!!!
 
On the news a few nights back they showed a guy standing behind a flag with a gun in his hand, I think it was this same strike.
 
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