Thousands of strking miners gather

Published Oct 17, 2012

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Thousands of striking mineworkers were gathered on a hill at the Mponeng mine outside Fochville in the North West on Wednesday.

The workers were attending a mass meeting at the AngloGold Ashanti gold mine. They have been on strike since September 25 for better wages.

A worker's representative, Tshepo Motloi, said on Monday that one of the miners' representatives was arrested for incitement.

Six workers were arrested on Friday for public violence.

“What public violence?” he asked.

“They say they burnt people's cars. No cars were burnt.”

The men appeared in Fochville Magistrate's Court on Friday afternoon and were released to appear again on November 16.

Motloi said seven more people were arrested on Saturday for the same charge. They appeared in court on Monday and were released on R1000 bail each.

One man still remained in jail as the workers tried to collect his bail, Motloi said.

As the workers waited for the meeting to start they sang and danced. Some were carrying sticks and pipes.

There was a strong police and security presence at the bottom of the hill. A helicopter was circling the hilltop. - Sapa

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