Mineworkers killed in arson attack in Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Six mineworkers have died and another 44 have been injured in an attack on a bus near Burgersfort in Limpopo Province, South Africa, on Tuesday 3 April 2018. The workers were on their way to the Modikwa Platinum Mine, a joint operation of African Rainbow Minerals and Anglo American Platinum, when the bus was hit by a petrol bomb thrown by an unknown assailant. The  South African Police Service believe that the incident is related to an ongoing dispute between the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), which is recognised at the mine, and the rival Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), a dispute that has resulted in a number of violent incidents over the past few years. 

The bodies of six mineworkers killed in an arson attack near Burgersford in Limpopo Province, South Africa on 3 April 2018. South African Police Service.

The NUM is closely associated with the ruling ANC, and was heavily involved in the struggle against apartheid. However since the ANC came to power it has been accused of becoming to close to the mining companies, who the ANC need to remain on good terms with. The newer AMCU claim that workers in the mining industry are receiving considerably lower wages than they ought to be able to expect, and have organised a string of strikes across the sector, bringing a number of mining companies to the negotiating table, but also resulting in some violent clashes with the police and members of other political organisations. In August 2012 police opened fire on AMCU workers at a rally at the Marikana Platinum Mine in North West Province, killing at least 34 people, the worst single outbreak of violence in South Africa since the end of the Apartheid system.

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One worker killed and three others injured at Marikana Platinum Mine, Rustenburg, South Africa.

One worker has been killed and another three injured in an incident at the Marikana Platinum Mine near Rustenburg in North West Province, South Africa, according to mine operators Lonmin. The company has released a statement confirming that the incident was a mining accident, but otherwise released no further details at this time.  The Lonmin mine has been plagued with violence associated with rivalry between two unions, the ANC-affiliated National Union of Mineworkers and the independent Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union, for over a year. This is the first mining fatality at the mine since 2010, when a rockfall killed five workers.

Workers underground at the Marikana Mine. Greg Marinovich.

South Africa is the world's largest producer of Platinum, accounting for 77% of global production, and having 80% of the world's known reserves. The Marikana mine alone accounts for 12% of the world's production, with a yearly production target of 750 000 ounces (unlikely to be met this year due to the industrial action). It also produces significant quantities of palladium, rhodium, gold and chromium. The mine is located on the western limb of South Africa's Bushveld Igneous Complex, which outcrops around the edges of the Transvaal Basin and contains some of the Earth's richest mineral deposits, notably of platinum, palladium, osmium, iridium, rhodium, ruthenium, iron, tin, chromium, titanium and vanadium. It is thought to have formed by the intrusion of metal rich magma into the Earth's crust around 2 billion years ago.

See also Worker killed at the Bokoni Platinum Mine in South Africa's Limpopo Province, Union official assassinated at Lonmin's Marikana Platinum Mine, Shooting at Lonmin's Marikana Platinum Mine, Two union officials shot at Lonmin Platinum Mine in Marikana, South Africa and At least 10 South African miners injured by rubber bullets in confrontation at Rustenburg mine.

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Worker killed at the Bokoni Platinum Mine in South Africa's Limpopo Province.

A worker was killed in an accident at the Atlatsa Resources operated Bokoni Platinum Mine in Limpopo Province, South Africa, on Friday 30 August 2013. The accident is described as involving a scraper winch; a piece of equipment used to transport loose ore. Following an inspection by the South African Department of Mineral Resources the operations in the UM2 shaft in which the accident happened, one of two inclined shafts at the mine, have been halted.

Map of the Bokoni Platinum Mine. The dark blue line is the UM2 Shaft. Anglo American. 

The Bokoni Mine is located on the northeastern fringe of South Africa's Bushveld Igneous Complex, which outcrops around the edges of the Transvaal Basin and contains some of the Earth's richest mineral deposits, notably of platinum, palladium, osmium, iridium, rhodium, ruthenium, iron, tin, chromium, titanium and vanadium. It is thought to have formed by the intrusion of metal rich magma into the Earth's crust around 2 billion years ago.

Block diagram of the southeastern part of the Bushveld Complex. Cawthorn (2010).

The Bokoni Mine currently produces around 80 000 tonnes of ore per month, but is thought to have the potential to produce considerably more, and Atlatsa have ambitious plans for the expansion of the site.

See also Worker killed at Western Australia ore mine, Union official assassinated at Lonmin's Marikana Platinum Mine, Swedish miners rescued from underground fire, Chile closes inquiry into 2010 mine collapse and Shooting at Lonmin's Marikana Platinum Mine.

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Union official assassinated at Lonmin's Marikana Platinum Mine.

A fifty-three year old woman, identified as a shop steward from the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), was shot outside her home, close to the Lonmin operated Marikana Platinum Mine, at around 10.30 am local time (around 8.30 am GMT) on Monday 12 August 2013. The identity of the Assassins is unknown, but it is thought likely that the shooting is connected to an ongoing rivalry between the NUM and rival union the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), which has resulted in a number of such incidents.

South African Police at the scene of Monday's shooting. AFP/Getty Images.

The NUM is closely associated with the ruling ANC, and was heavily involved in the struggle against apartheid. However since the ANC came to power it has been accused of becoming to close to the mining companies, who the ANC need to remain on good terms with. The newer AMCU claim that workers in the mining industry are receiving considerably lower wages than they ought to be able to expect, and have organized a string of strikes across the sector, brining a number of mining companies to the negotiating table, but also resulting in some violent clashes with the police and members of other political organizations. In August 2012 police opened fire on AMCU workers at a rally at the Marikana Mine, killing at least 34 people, the worst single outbreak of violence in South Africa since the end of the Apartheid system.

The approximate location of the Marikana Platinum Mine. Google Maps.

See also Shooting at Lonmin's Marikana Platinum Mine, Two union officials shot at Lonmin Platinum Mine in Marikana, South Africa, At least 10 South African miners injured by rubber bullets in confrontation at Rustenburg mine and Massacre at Lonmin Marikana Platinum Mine, Rustenburg, South Africa.

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Shooting at Lonmin's Marikana Platinum Mine.

A 49 year old man, believed to be a team leader for the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), was shot dead at the  Lonmin-owned Marikana Platinum Mine in Rustenburg in northeast South Africa. The incident happened on Sunday 28 July 2013, but the South African Police Service have yet to release details of the event, which is thought to be associated with the ongoing (and often bloody) dispute between the AMCU and it's more established rival the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM).

The approximate location of the Lonmin Marikana Mine. Google Maps.

The NUM is closely associated with the ruling ANC, and was heavily involved in the struggle against apartheid. However since the ANC came to power it has been accused of becoming to close to the mining companies, who the ANC need to remain on good terms with. The newer AMCU claim that workers in the mining industry are receiving considerably lower wages than they ought to be able to expect, and have organized a string of strikes across the sector, brining a number of mining companies to the negotiating table, but also resulting in some violent clashes with the police and members of other political organizations. In August 2012 police opened fire on AMCU workers at a rally at the Marikana Mine, killing at least 34 people, the worst single outbreak of violence in South Africa since the end of the Apartheid system.

See also Two union officials shot at Lonmin Platinum Mine in Marikana, South Africa, At least 10 South African miners injured by rubber bullets in confrontation at Rustenburg mine and Massacre at Lonmin Marikana Platinum Mine, Rustenburg, South Africa.

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Two union officials shot at Lonmin Platinum Mine in Marikana, South Africa.

Two union officials have been shot, one fatally, in an incident at the Lonmin-owned Marikana Platinum Mine in South Africa. Two gunmen initially opened fire on one of the officials outside the office of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) at the mine. When the official fled into the office his assailants pursued him and killed him. A second union official, described as a treasurer, confronted the men and was also shot, though not fatally. He is now in a critical condition in hospital having sustained six bullet wounds. The names of the officials have not been released.

A police vehicle at the Marikana Platinum Mine. Sky News.

The NUM has been involved in an ongoing dispute with a rival union, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) which has resulted in bloodshed on a number of occasions. Last month a negotiator from the AMCU was gunned down in a bar. The NUM is closely associated with the ruling ANC, and was heavily involved in the struggle against apartheid. However since the ANC came to power it has been accused of becoming to close to the mining companies, who the ANC need to remain on good terms with. The newer AMCU claim that workers in the mining industry are receiving considerably lower wages than they ought to be able to expect, and have organized a string of strikes across the sector, brining a number of mining companies to the negotiating table, but also resulting in some violent clashes with the police and members of other political organizations. In August 2012 police opened fire on AMCU workers at a rally at the Marikana Mine, killing at least 34 people.

See also At least 10 South African miners injured by rubber bullets in confrontation at Rustenburg mine, Pregnant woman killed in rioting over Tanzania gas pipeline, Uranium mining to begin in Tanzania and Massacre at Lonmin Marikana Platinum Mine, Rustenburg, South Africa.

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Massacre at Lonmin Marikana Platinum Mine, Rustenburg, South Africa.

Police in South Africa have reportedly opened fire on a group of striking miners armed with sticks and machetes, killing 18 people, on Thursday 16 August 2012 (versions of this story vary slightly, some sources put the death toll as high as 38, with the BBC, London, claiming only 12 workers were killed, that the miners were armed with machetes, clubs, spears, petrol bombs and grenades, and that the police tried to disperse the protesters with tear-gas before firing; however the source of this claim is unclear as it is not reported in other news sources). Workers belonging to the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union have been on strike at the Marikana Platinum Mine since Friday 10 August, demanding a sharp increase in wages, but mine owners, London-based Lonmin PLC, have refused to negotiate with the union and declared the strike illegal. Clashes earlier in the week led to the deaths of at least ten people, including two policemen and two security guards.

Police surveying the bodies of striking miners outside the Marikana site. AP.

The dispute is apparently partly fueled by rivalry between the official  National Union of Mineworkers, which is linked to the ruling African National Congress, and which Lonmin PLC do recognize, and the more radical Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union, which claims that improvements in the lives of mine-workers in post-Apartheid South Africa are coming to slowly, with workers still living in shantytowns and receiving very low wages 18 years after the ANC came to power. Despite not supporting the strike and urging workers to return to work, the National Union of Mineworkers has accused Lonmin of contributing to the unrest by offering allowances to some workers outside the formal bargaining process.

South Africa is the world's largest producer of Platinum, accounting for 77% of global production, and having 80% of the world's known reserves. The Marikana mine alone accounts for 12% of the world's production, with a yearly production target of 750 000 ounces (unlikely to be met this year due to the industrial action). Platinum is currently trading at slightly under US$1440 per ounce, though this has risen this week due to the fall in production at the Marikana mine. Workers at the mine are currently said to be earning around R5000 per month (~US$600), with the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union demanding R12 500 (~US$1520). 

The incident has provoked widespread shock in South Africa, which has not seen such events since the  end of Apartheid rule in 1994. Following news of the massacre shares in Lonmin fell 6.7% on the London Stock Exchange and 7.3% in Johannesburg; the share-price has fallen 13% since the start of the strike. In January this year a similar round of strikes closed the Impala Platinum mine (the world's largest Platinum mine, accounting for 25% of global production) for six weeks, led to at least three deaths, and pushed the price of Platinum up by 15%.

See also Operations ceased at Padcal Mine following flooding, Seven workers killed by mine explosion in Hunan Province, China, Miners trapped by flooding at Qielichong Coal Mine in Hunan Province, China, Human Rights Watch reports on mining in India and Protest group Appalachia Rising occupy the offices of four US Representatives.

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