Johannesburg - They peeked through their windows and saw him engulfed in flames. The miner was screaming in agony, trapped in a house while neighbours crippled by fear failed to come to his aid.
Lungile Thani is now in ICU at a Rustenburg hospital, receiving treatment after the attack on Friday night.
He is the chairman of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) at the Anglo American Platinum (Angloplat) Khomanani branch.
Angloplat suspended operations at the mine on September 12 because of a wildcat strike, with workers demanding a R15 070 minimum wage.
The company has told strikers to return to work by this morning for disciplinary hearings or face dismissals.
As a NUM official, Thani was at the centre of the conflict with the strikers, who have lost faith in that union.
On Monday Angloplat spokeswoman Mpumi Sithole said the mine was operating with less than 20 percent of its workforce, “notwithstanding the great lengths to which the company has gone to encourage striking employees back to work”.
Sithole said the company was aware of the tension in the Rustenburg area “and is continuing to engage with the authorities with regard to providing an increased level of security in the affected areas, in order to provide further support for many of its striking employees who want to return to work”. Last night NUM spokesman Lesiba Seshoka spoke about the conflict between strikers and non-strikers.
“Management has made it clear that they don’t want to negotiate, but we’ve warned our members not to return to work because if you go back you get attacked. “We believe the attitude of Anglo Platinum of fighting fire with fire is not helping at all.
“We believe negotiations are the most powerful weapon, [but] management won’t open talks because of the two-year wage agreement.
“What they need to do is accept that the mining industry is in the wrong rather than saying if you are not here, then you get fired,” Seshoka said.
On Monday Thani’s neighbours, a community of miners in Bokamoso township near one of Angloplat’s operations outside Rustenburg, was still in shock over the attack on him.
“We watched him standing there by the door surrounded by flames. He was screaming for help. We couldn’t go out because we also feared for our lives,” said a woman who spoke to The Star on condition of anonymity.
She said they first heard breaking glass at about 11pm. Her husband went to investigate, but found nothing.
“Then we heard gunshots,” she said. Crippled by fear, the couple watched flames engulfing Thani’s home.
“It is a very difficult time here. People are being killed for going to work,” said the woman.
“These people are dangerous. We live in fear so I can’t give you my name. We are all scared,’’ said another man.
Yesterday, union members around the mine’s Rustenburg operation refused to comment.
Miners said they have taken matters into their own hands, negotiating a wage increase with mine management without the help of the union because NUM had “sold us out”.
The Star