500 miners being ‘held hostage’ in Springs mine

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Around 543 miners are being held “hostage” at the Gold One mine in Springs, allegedly by members of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), the mine’s spokesperson Jon Hericourt said on Monday afternoon.

“A group of Amcu members started holding everyone hostage. They are preventing them from coming up from underground. They are keeping them in certain working areas, they have cut off all communication, and there have been some injuries,” he said.

Speaking from the mine, National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) acting regional spokesperson Mlulameli Mweli told News24 that aggrieved Amcu members were holding staff hostage, demanding representation at the mine.

Amcu general secretary Jeffrey Mphahlele, who arrived on the scene shortly after 14:00, said he could not confirm a hostage situation, and that 1 700 of Gold One’s 1 870 employees were in fact Amcu members. 

“Management cannot just come and say it is a hostage situation. It is not true,”

More to follow.

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