Lonmin mine strikes goes onward , article from The Guardian and also various links to News 24 items of interest !

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/southafrica/9501910/Striking-South-African-miners-were-shot-in-the-back.html

By Aislinn Laing, Johannesburg

4:55PM BST 27 Aug 2012

Post-mortem examinations revealed that most of the 34 victims of the police action on August 16 were shot in the back while a smaller number were shot while facing forward, Johannesburg's Star newspaper reported citing sources close to the investigation.

If proved correct, the leaked results could contradict police claims that they only opened fire after being fired upon.

Those working to keep the peace in the northwestern town of Marikana, where the Lonmin platinum mine is situated, said they feared that the report could inflame tensions further in the still febrile atmosphere.

Over 150 complaints have been filed with the Independent Police Investigative Directorate over the alleged torture and assault in police custody of miners who were arrested following the violence.

On Monday, London-listed Lonmin said that just 13 per cent of its 28,000 workers arrived for their shifts, following intimidation of bus drivers and other workers by groups of men issuing threats of "repercussions" if they clocked in.

The company is now relying on a "peace accord" meeting planned for Wednesday with the unions, brokered by the Department of Labour. "Everyone must buy into the peace accord before any discussions on issues such as wages can take place," said Sue Vey, a Lonmin spokesman.

Around 3,000 specialist rock-drillers are on strike, backed by the militant Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), pushing for a massive wage increase.

The strike began on August 10 and saw 10 killed – including two police officers and mine security staff – within days. On August 16, following fruitless attempts to control the crowd with tear gas, barbed wire and water canons, police hit back in a three-minute live fire barrage that constituted the deadliest force used since the end of apartheid in 1994.

In a press conference shortly after the incident, General Riah Phiyega, the national police commissioner, said she authorised the use of live ammunition because she was told police had come under attack from the striking workers.

"The militant group stormed towards the police firing shots and wielding dangerous weapons," she said.

The government confirmed on Friday that post-mortems conducted by state pathologists and verified by independent private pathologists had been completed.

But it remains unclear who has seen the results of the examinations. Harold Maloka, a spokesman for the Inter-Ministerial Committee set up by government to handle the crisis, said they would be released as part of the public inquiry into what happened, which is due to report back in four months.

The Star newspaper claimed it had spoken to several sources close to the investigation and with knowledge of the results.

"The post-mortem reports indicate that most of the people were fleeing from the police when they got killed," it quoted one unnamed source as saying.

"A lot of them were shot in the back and the bullets exited through their chests. Only a few people were found to be shot from the front."

Zweli Mnisi, spokesman for Police Minister Nathi Mehethwa, condemned the report as "irresponsible".

"Before the public know these results, the families must first know and not read about it in the newspapers," he said. "We call on all parties to exercise cautions – these are people's lives we are talking about."

Kevin Dowling, the bishop of nearby Rustenburg who is among a large contingent of churchmen working in Marikana, called for clear leadership from the mine managers, unions, politicians and mediators to prevent further violence.

"Unless there is proactive action by all stakeholders to influence the situation positively and stabilise it, there could be more outbreaks of unrest when rumours go round and news like this gets out," he said.

"There is still a lot of very deep emotion in operation here and this just may inflame emotions higher."

and......


http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/aug/27/lonmim-fresh-violence-mines-south-africa

Lonmin reports fresh violence at its South African mines

Intimidation of workers reported at mines as only one in 10 of 28,000-strong workforce defy strike

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• Reuters in Johannesburg
• guardian.co.uk, Monday 27 August 2012 06.43 EDT

South Africans gather on a hillside overlooking the scene of the massacre at the Lonmin mine at Marikana. Photograph: Str/EPA

Violence has spread to the other operations of the world's No 3 platinum producer Lonmin, the company has said, raising concerns of further unrest after 44 people were killed this month in a labour dispute at its Marikana mine near Johannesburg, South Africa.

"There have been incidents of intimidation towards bus drivers overnight as well as intimidation of Eastern Platinum's workers this morning, preventing them from coming to work," Lonmin said.

Lonmin, where most operations have been suspended for two weeks by a wage strike among around 3,000 of its workers, also said just over one in 10 of its 28,000-strong workforce had shown up for work on Monday morning, far short of the numbers needed to start mining ore.

The trade union Solidarity, which represents skilled workers, also reported high levels of intimidation.

In another development, workers at another South African mine run by Eastern Platinum were reportedly blocked from going to work on Monday by colleagues, the National Union of Mineworkers said.

Lonmin is racing to resume ore extraction across its operations without a guarantee that striking workers will return to work this week after the end of a mourning period for colleagues killed in the recent wave of labour unrest.

The violence stems from a bloody turf war between the dominant National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the small but militant Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), which has been spreading its influence through the mining sector.

Lonmin has also said it may issue new shares to shore up a balance sheet affected badly by lost production and revenue.

and a host of articles from News 24...........

Miners locked up without meds - claim

2012-08-27 22:15

Detained Marikana mineworkers should be released and allowed to access lifesaving medicine for diseases like HIV, a court has heard.

• Marikana workers stay in jail
• IPID opens murder dockets over Marikana
• Lonmin miners were armed - police

Marikana workers stay in jail

2012-08-27 20:59

Marikana mineworkers will spend another night in custody after the Ga-Rankuwa Magistrate's Court postponed their bail applications.

• IPID opens murder dockets over Marikana
• Lonmin miners were armed - police
• Cops mum on alleged fleeing Lonmin workers

Striking miners to 'deal with' non-strikers

2012-08-27 18:52

Striking workers at platinum giant Lonmin's Marikana mine has threatened to "deal with" colleagues who return to work, amid a violent strike that has claimed 44 lives.

• ANCYL: Lack of leadership to blame
• No resolution in Lonmin talks
• Defiant strikers regroup at Lonmin