Workers at a South African mine have resurfaced after enduring a three-day captivity in what authorities have declared a hostage situation.
Hostage-takers armed with weapons such as clubs and mining tools had forcibly detained over 500 miners at the Gold One mine, according to the police.
One of the workers who emerged on Wednesday revealed to the BBC that escaping was their only means of preserving their life.
The miners became trapped on Sunday amid a dispute between two trade unions.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) argued that “hooligans” had detained its members against their will.
However, the rival Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) denied allegations of trapping workers at the mine and asserted that the miners were participating in a voluntary “sit-in” protest.
A miner, who requested anonymity due to fear of intimidation from rival union members, recounted to the BBC: “I ran away… it was the only way to save my life. We had to run away.”
This 32-year-old miner stated that some hostage-takers had physically assaulted the captive miners.
“Although I support the fight for another union to be allowed to organize at the mine, I can’t condone the methods they have employed,” said the miner, who had been employed at Gold One for over a decade.
Families of the workers anxiously awaited their emergence outside the mine on Wednesday.
One woman, whose husband failed to return from his shift the previous night, shared her distress with the BBC: “I am hurting. I do not know when my husband will return. He is not well… he has tuberculosis.
“My husband is the sole breadwinner. I’m even afraid to go back home because I won’t be able to answer my children’s questions,” she expressed.
All the miners eventually resurfaced, prompting the police to initiate an investigation into a possible kidnapping.
Brenda Mudiri, a police spokesperson, reported that workers were interviewed as they exited the mine.
“The workers we interviewed informed us that they were held against their will. They mentioned about 15 hostage-takers. However, we are unable to confirm which union these hostage-takers belong to,” Mudiri stated.
The mine’s management endorsed the assessments made by the police and NUM, affirming that the miners were indeed held hostage.
Amcu has accused Gold One executives of colluding with NUM, an accusation that the mine denies.
NUM was founded in 1982 by former labour unionist Cyril Ramaphosa, who is currently South Africa’s president. It remains the largest mining union in the country.
