South Africa police retrieve weapons in raid on miners


JOHANNESBURG: South African police raided hostels at a Lonmin mine on Saturday to disarm miners a day after the government promised to crack down on "illegal gatherings" and the carrying of weapons by strikers.

South Africa has faced a wave of labour unrest that started five weeks ago at Lonmin's Marikana mines, about 100 km (60 miles) from Johannesburg.

About 500 police officers raided the hostels at Lonmin's Karee platinum mine in the early morning hours and seized weapons such as machetes and spears, regional police spokesman Thulani Ngubane said.

Police arrested five people in the raid for drugs and not because of weapons, Ngubane said.

About 6,000 mine workers stay at the Karee hostels. "The aim of the raid was to disarm the mine workers to make sure that we do away with the elements of threats that are taking their toll in the area of Marikana," Ngubane said. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How a cyber attack hampered Hong Kong protesters

‘The chances of nuclear use are minimal. Both Russia & Ukraine are well aware of results’: DB Venkatesh Varma

Pak off FATF Grey List; ‘Black Spot’ on Fight Against Terror Irks India; J&K Guv Says 'World is Watching'