Publications
Partners
Rustenburg - Striking workers should desist from violence against other workers during their industrial action, Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) said on Friday.
"It is possible for workers to lead a peaceful, bloodless and effective legal strike...," said spokesman Patrick Craven.
He said the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) led a peaceful strike at Northam Platinum in Limpopo.
He said Cosatu condemned the brutal murder of a NUM member who was killed in Rustenburg on Thursday.
"This is the fifth such killing in the past two weeks in the platinum belt."
NUM said Felix Manjate, who comes from Mozambique, was stabbed to death at the Sondela informal settlement near Rustenburg while leaving for work at Anglo American Platinum's Union mine in Limpopo.
He had apparently been threatened and warned by striking workers not to go to work.
"The federation shares the NUM's concerns over the dire situation in the platinum mines - the long strike, the employers' arrogance and the escalating violence which has been allowed to continue unabated by the law enforcement agencies and mine security," Craven said.
Members of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) at Impala Platinum (Implats) [JSE:IMP], Lonmin [JSE:LON] and Anglo Platinum (Amplats) [JSE:AMS] downed tools on January 23 demanding a basic monthly salary of R12 500.
They rejected the companies' offer that would bring their cash remuneration to R12 500 by July 2017.
