Police violence escalates in South African miners' wildcat strike

KPFA Evening News, 09.15.2012

South African Police fired tear gas, stun grenades, and rubber bullets at platinum miners engaged in a wildcat strike spreading throughout the country's platinum belt, which the miners have vowed to bring to a standstill. South Africa's News24 reported that at least 1000 South African troops are on their way to reinforce the police in the country's platinum belt, which the miners have vowed to bring to a standstill. David Van Wyk of the Benchmark Foundation said that their monitors, who live in the mining communities and are trained to be the ears and eyes of the people, reported that police had herded people into the shacks they live in and fired on them there, but he did not yet know whether any had used live ammunition.

South African platinum miners on strike, demanding $8 an hour for dangerous work whose consequence is short life expectancy. September 2012.

Police officers round up a group of men as they patrol the area near the Lonmin Platinum Mine near Rustenburg, South Africa, Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. As various stakeholders continued negotiations South Africa Justice Minister Jeff Radebe warned that the Government would clamp down on daily illegal marches by miners brandishing machetes, spears and clubs that have marked the strike. Photo: THEMBA HADEBE - AP Photo