Stuart Hess
AS the shattered community at Stilfontein started recovering from the violence which left at least 24 dead, it emerged that police at the miners’ settlement have been told to shoot any miners caught inciting violence.
“Police have been given the right to kill,” said Sixtus Sethunya, senior hostel personnel assistant at Scott Hostel, near the old Stilfontein Gold Mine. Sethunya was defying management’s orders that no journalists were to be taken into the hostel.
This week’s ethnic violence between Xhosa and Sotho workers appears to have been triggered by the murders of 10 mineworkers who were living at Springvale farm, about 3km from Buffelsfonetin No 2 where they work.
Basil King, human resources manager at Buffelsfontein’s No 2 hostel, said the violence had been between contract workers at Scott and Pioneer hostel.
A Sotho miner at Scott hostel, Sipho Leseske, claims management was favouring Xhosa workers. “We are scared to go to the hostel because they have guns, management gives into their demands very easily,” he said. According to Leseke, the Sotho workers had to sleep outside and they had not eaten for two days.
A resident of Springvale farm, Fele Mayisele, said a large group of Pondos attacked the hostel at 11pm last Saturday night. The group knocked on people’s doors before attacking with pangas and spears. She could not understand why they attacked the hostel because all the tribes live together at the farm.
Police believe the attack came from Pioneer hostel shaft. The manager at Pioneer hostel, Abraham Ntsili, said it was possible that the attack came from Xhosas who may have formed gangs following the death of a Xhosa worker at Springvale farm two weeks ago.
The second round of killings late on Wednesday night brought the week’s death toll to 24. Investigating officer Colonel Attie Prinsloo said the latest victims are all miners and not contract workers.
The National Union of Mineworkers yesterday appealed for calm. They are expected to hold a meeting with miners to end the violence.