200 Miners Emerge as Hostage Crisis Continues in Springs Gold One Mine Saga

• A hostage situation at the Gold One Mine in Springs, left more than 500 mine workers held at gunpoint underground, with some workers now starting to resurface
• The incident is rooted in a bitter dispute between the NUM and the AMCU over organizing rights at the mine
• The situation left South Africans puzzled and raised questions about the presence of armed men underground

With extensive background in South African socio-economic crime analysis at Isolezwe, Phumelele Nxumalo remains dedicated to comprehensive crime reporting at Briefly News.

JOHANNESBURG - South Africans are left with more questions than answers over what transpired at the Gold One Modder East mine in Springs, Ekurhuleni. More than 500 mine workers are believed to have been held hostage at gunpoint underground since Sunday night.

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Miners workers start to resurface

Speaking to The Citizen, GroupOne CEO John Hericourt said the miners have started to resurface from underground. He said:

"We received communication from an underground station that there are people who want to come up. Around two hundred people remain underground and Amcu is demanding to be addressed by a member of management, National Union of Mineworkers leadership and an Amcu representative before releasing the balance of captives," said Hericourt.

South Africans express confusion

In a post by Newzroom Afrika on X, Mzansi shared their thoughts on the matter in the comment section.

Below are some of the reactions:

@Sihle_ZA_ remarked:

"Unless an elite politician is directly affected by a crime, it's not a crisis. This will die down and new shocking headlines will emerge."

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@Joe_Man_Joe asked:

"How did armed men get access to the underground of the mine?"

@NdunaSeroka expressed confusion:

"How does a sit-in change into a hostage situation now, I'm confused?"

@ClassiqZwide commented:

"NIU won’t go there because those 15 armed men are not South Africans. They only go after South Africans."

@Bhuti_Wandile said:

"That loudmouth Bheki Cele must send in the Special Taskforce the same way he did with Mkhize instead of running his mouth."

@KK_PsMudau expressed concern by saying:

"South Africa is a movie, and more becoming a dangerous place for its inhabitants."

@ObserveMr lambasted:

"Bheki Cele will be giving useless speeches while people hope for the best outcome underground with guns pointed at them."

Bitter dispute between NUM and AMCU

According to EWN, the situation started with a bitter battle between the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) over organising rights at the mine.

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While this has been deemed a hostage situation, some miners who have emerged from underground have lambasted these claims, saying it was a sit-in.

31 Lesotho illegal miners die

The South African Mineral Resources and Energy Department made a daunting revelation that 31 illegal miners from Lesotho were believed to have died in an explosion at an abandoned mine in Free State.

The spokesperson to the Lesotho Prime Minister Thapelo Mabote pleaded with the South African government to retrieve the bodies that have been trapped since the explosion. Mabote said while the Lesotho government does not condone illegal mining, their wish is to repatriate the bodies and return them to their families.

Source: Briefly News