GOLD ONE HOSTAGE: HEAVY POLICE PRESENCE, INTENSE UNION RIVALRY AND CONFUSION

Mine management and the main union at the mine, Num, describe it as a “hostage situation” saying a small group of supporters of Amcu are preventing a larger group of approximately 500 workers from leaving.

The entrance of the GoldOne mine in Springs, east of Johannesburg, on 23 October 2023. Police confirmed that hundreds of mine employees were being held hostage. Picture: Jacques Nelles/Eyewitness News

Bernadette Wicks & Nokukhanya Mntambo 

| 24 October 2023 16:12

JOHANNESBURG - Dozens of police and private security have made their way inside the Gold One Modder East Operation in Springs amid a hostage situation - where over 500 miners are being held underground at the mine.

It's alleged that members of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) are fuming over a lack of representation by the labour union.

The perimeter of the Gold One mine gives little clue about the tug of war happening inside the mine.

The two-metre-tall gates into the mine are guarded by heavily armed security officers.

If you peep through the precast concrete fencing that's where you'll see police vans. Eyewitness News has been told that there are at least two police inyalas and dozens more vans inside.

It's understood police and private security on the scene are hatching a tactical plan to extract the 500-plus miners being held hostage.

From what we’ve gathered, the miners affiliated with the National Union of Mineworkers are at the mercy of about 20 Amcu members.

There is some suspicion that the frustrated Amcu group went in with weapons though police are still investigating that risk.

Though there's fresh drinking water underground - the mineworkers have been without food since Sunday.

Meanwhile, a Gold One employee has told Eyewitness News that workers at the Springs mine took a decision last week already to stage a sit-in.

More than 500 workers who went underground on Sunday night, have still not returned to the surface but there’s confusion around what exactly the reason is.

Mine management and the Num - the main union at the mine - describe it as a “hostage situation” saying a small group of supporters of Amcu are preventing a larger group of workers from leaving.

Amcu, however, said the workers are protesting because they want Num out.

Lenong Wehle, who said he’s a Gold One employee, has told Eyewitness News his colleagues are indeed staging a sit-in and that they took the decision at an informal meeting on Thursday.

"We decided to stage a stay-in underground so that the management of Gold One can take our plea seriously."

Whele maintains no one is being held against their will, but Gold One CEO Jonathan Hericourt insists this isn’t true.

"It’s not a sit-in in any terms of the word. It is a small group of probably around 120 people who are holding maybe 530/400 people underground and they are preventing them from coming out."

Hericourt also said the mine has a recognition agreement with Num - which has been in place for the last 12 years.

He added that contrary to claims that some 1,700 of their 1,800 employees now want Amcu representation instead - they’re only aware of “a relatively small number”.