Seven striking miners were arrested and some were injured during a violent protest at the Impala Platinum mine in Rustenburg on Friday, police said.
The miners blocked the roads leaving the NR6 and NR8 hostels and threw stones at vehicles, Captain Elsabe Augoustides said.
They then marched to the mine’s hospital, demanding the dismissal of a Dr John Andrews.
The strikers claimed the doctor had no respect for patients at the hospital and was holding up the process of rolling-out ARVs to HIV-positive miners.
The miners then marched to the mine’s administrative offices and again made their demands.
”At about 11.30am, the group became violent and participants broke the windows of the offices and damaged other property.”
Police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse the crowd, Augoustides said.
A few strikers suffered minor injuries during the shooting, said National Union of Mineworkers’s spokesperson Eliphus Ngoepe. Seven miners were arrested for public violence and detained at the Phokeng police station.
At least 15 000 workers downed tools at the mine on Friday, but the strike was called off the same day after negotiations between the union and management.
Ngoepe said workers had also marched to the Impala hospital two weeks ago demanding Andrews’s dismissal.
”Dr Andrews has no respect for patients at the hospital who are our members.”
After the march, mine management apparently allowed Andrews to address the media instead of responding to their grievances. A week later, senior mine officials agreed to withdraw Andrew’s statement and the two parties agreed to meet on Wednesday.
On Wednesday’s meeting, union representatives walked out because one mine official had apparently ”looked down” on them.
”His attitude was unbecoming. He was looking down on us, treating us like children and not talking sense. We realised that these people were not in the mood to talk to us, so we left the meeting.”
During Friday’s negotiations between the union and mine management, an agreement was reached that the workers should return to work as soon as possible, the union said.
Ngoepe said the mine’s management had agreed to suspend Andrews with immediate effect.
”We urge all our members to return to work,” Ngoepe said.
Implats said they had agreed in principle to address the main concerns.
Spokesperson Mike Teke would not confirm or deny Andrews’s suspension.
”Our policy differs from NUM’s. We don’t comment on matters that are still pending.”
He said the mine had received a memorandum from the union and had promised to discuss the matter when the two parties meet on Monday. – Sapa