Five S.African workers shot near Amplats mine

At least five South African mine workers were shot by guards outside an Anglo American Platinum mine amid apparent rival union clashes in the tinderbox northwest platinum, police said Monday.

“People are reported to be injured… some have been sent to the hospital, but we have not yet verified the levels of the injuries and who may have been the cause of the injuries,” police spokesman Thulani Ngubane told Eye Witness News.

Amplats spokeswoman Mpumi Sithole told AFP the company was “currently gathering the details”.

The incident took place near Rustenburg, which was at the heart of labour unrest that rocked South Africa last year and left over 50 people dead.

Initial reports suggested the latest shooting was a result of a turf war between the main National Union of Mineworker (NUM) and a smaller upstart Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU).

NUM spokesman Lesiba Seshoka confirmed the clashes but did not have details.

“I am not aware about the fatalities, I am aware that there have been injured,” he told AFP.