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13 Shot, Hacked in South Africa Mine

Security guards fire rubber bullets amid union-related fight

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted Feb 18, 2013 11:49 AM CST

(Newser) – A labor dispute at a South African mine saw at least 13 workers and security guards shot with rubber bullets or hacked with machetes, according to local reports. Security guards opened fire at the Anglo American Platinum mine, as union factions squared off, Reuters reports. There were no fatalities, though a police spokesman says members of one union "survived by running for their lives." The scuffle follows the company's announcement of job cuts last month.

A striking miner shouts at a friend at his home in an informal settlement near a mine near Rustenburg, South Africa, on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012.
A striking miner shouts at a friend at his home in an informal settlement near a mine near Rustenburg, South Africa, on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012.   (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 14 comments
TristramShandy
Feb 18, 2013 12:28 PM CST
Were the machetes made of rubber too?  How do you get hacked with a machete and not die?
crafter67
Feb 18, 2013 12:25 PM CST
when your job chases you off with machetes - it's time to find a new job...
john09
Feb 18, 2013 12:22 PM CST
Don't blame the poor people who wielded machetes, blame slavery and apartheid instead. It's hard to see racism when you're white.
 

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