JOHANNESBURG--A platinum mine worker was stabbed and killed on
his way to work Thursday morning, as mining companies and union
leaders meet to try and resolve South Africa's 18-week long strike,
a union leader said.
A member of the National Union of Mineworkers, which isn't on
strike, was killed while leaving his informal settlement in
Rustenburg to go to work at the Union mine owned by Anglo American
Platinum Ltd. in Limpopo province, NUM spokesman Livhuwani Mammburu
said.
The victim, a worker from Mozambique, had returned to work at
the mine last week but striking colleagues threatened him so he had
been hiding in Rustenburg and making the commute to Limpopo daily,
Mr. Mammburu said.
This is the fifth death this month in the platinum mining
region. Four other people were killed last week near a mine
operated by Lonmin PLC. One mine worker had been stabbed to death,
another burned in his home and a third was strangled along with his
wife. Since then, police have increased their presence in the
area.
More than 70,000 mine workers have been on strike since the end
of January led by the Association of Mine workers and Construction
Union. The workers are demanding a near tripling in their salary,
from an entry level wage of around 5,000 rand a month ($481) to
ZAR12,500.
Platinum mining companies said they cannot afford this and due
to the length of the strike some have lost a third of their annual
platinum output. Lonmin said this month that the company would have
to restructure as a result of the length of the strike and that
will likely mean job cuts. The company this week fired 235
employees who haven't shown up to work since the start of the
strike.
Representatives from AMCU and Anglo American Platinum couldn't
be reached for comment.
This week, South Africa's labor court intervened in the strike,
which has cost the mining companies nearly $2 billion in lost
revenue and is hurting the country's already sluggish growth, to
mediate fresh talks between the union and companies. Talks started
Wednesday and will run through to Friday.
Write to Devon Maylie at devon.maylie@wsj.com
