NUM Press Alert, 11 August 2016

Police fire at NUM members who were protesting peacefully outside Hendrina Power station in Mpumalanga*

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) strongly condemns the action and attitudes of the police who had randomly fired rubber bullets and assaulted our members who were protesting peacefully outside Hendrina Power Station in Mpumalanga yesterday afternoon.

The workers who were protesting peacefully were provoked by the police who fired rubber bullets and several of our members were injured. One NUM member is currently in hospital in Witbank. He had suffered a broken leg after being allegedly assaulted by the police. The NUM is going to open the case against the police. The shooting of our members continued this morning at Hendrina and Tutuka Power Stations in Mpumalanga. The NUM members will not be intimidated by the police. The NUM is extremely disappointed at the action of the police. We call on the police to stop assaulting and shooting our members for protesting peacefully.

Our members' right to strike is enshrined in the constitution of South Africa. Their rights to strike cannot be taken away by anybody including the trigger-happy police and Eskom's arrogant management.

For more information, please contact:

Helen Diatile: NUM Chief Negotiator at Eskom: 082 809 3270
Livhuwani Mammburu : NUM National Spokesperson: 083 809 3257

The National Union of Mineworkers
7 Rissik Street.
Cnr Frederick Johannesburg
Tel: 011 377 2111 Cell: 083 809 3257
Twitter: @Num_Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/NUM/100860023402167