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Marikana - The ANC will defend the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), the party said on Sunday.
"We are not just defending the NUM, we are defending our hard fought gains," said ANC Bojanala region deputy chairperson Buti Makhongela.
"Rise and defend the NUM. Go into the informal settlements to recruit for NUM and the ANC," he told workers at a rally in Marikana on Sunday.
The NUM is on a recruitment drive after losing its majority union status to the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) at Lonmin's Marikana operations.
Forty-four people were killed in Marikana last August during strike-related violence at Lonmin. Thirty four of them were shot dead by the police on August 16. Ten people, including two policemen and two security guards, were killed in the preceding week.
Makhongela said an attack on the NUM was an attack on the ANC.
"We cannot be intimidated. We have defeated apartheid. This [Amcu] is a small cockroach that needs a mild spray to solve it," he said.
The NUM has referred a dispute to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration about the interpretation and implementation of the recognition agreement.
Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) North West secretary Solly Phetoe said the NUM would reclaim its dignity.
"Our rally is part of our listening campaign, as we have been doing in the entire workers' movement that belongs to the Cosatu affiliates, but it is also our programme to make sure that workers can join the union of their choice without any intimidation or threats from anyone."
Phetoe said the ANC had to fight corruption or be prepared to hand over power to the enemy.
"We condemned what happened in Tlokwe. The ANC must take action [against the] councillors who helped the [Democratic Alliance] to remove the mayor."
He said the ANC should also investigate corruption allegation against ousted Tlokwe mayor Maphetle Maphetle.
"We do not want Maphetle. We want an ANC mayor."
Phetoe said Cosatu would fight for the NUM until its offices at Lonmin were re-opened.
"We have managed to open NUM offices at Anglo American Platinum. We are going to make sure that NUM offices at Lonmin and Impala are opened."
A man heading to the rally was stabbed and beaten up at Nkaneng on Sunday.
Armed police guarded the paramedics who attended to the man, who was wearing a NUM T-shirt
He had blood on his chin and cheeks from a stab wound in the neck.
Paramedics put an oxygen mask on him and took him to hospital at speed.
Earlier in the day, NUM official Eric Gclitshana told the rally people were being killed for wearing NUM T-shirts.
