JOHANNESBURG. A South African union of mineworkers on Friday vowed to take its protests to new heights by marching to the Union Buildings in Pretoria.The Association for Mining and Construction Union (AMCU) President Joseph Mathunjwa said the protest is aimed to press the demand that the government and President Jacob Zuma in particular take action against killings that have threatened mine operations in the North West Province. “This must stop, this must not continue. Yes, we are going for a march that will put South Africa’s economy to a standstill. We will march to the Union Buildings and we are going to tell the government and the president that we are sick and tired of this union bashing and killings taking place in Rustenburg,” Mathunjwa said in a telephone interview with Xinhua.Labor unrest intensified in Rustenburg near Johannesburg since Monday following the killing of AMCU regional organizer Mawethu Steven who was shoot in a tavern Saturday.The South African cabinet said on Thursday the unrest which has led to killings of people, downing of tools and disruption of productivity, is centered on issues of majority representation between rival labor unions AMCU and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). “Abide by the rules of the country - just like you expect all of us to do. Act as though the mines are owned by you and act accordingly,” said Peter Mjor, Head of Minint at Cadiz Corporate Solutions (CCS). “Get this violence and destruction out of your system -- out of your minds -- once and for all,” he told Xinhua.AMCU has been fighting with NUM over bargaining rights, especially at the Anglo American Platinum and Lonmin’s Marikana Mine. Their rivalry last year culminated in what became known as the Marikana Massacre, in which police shot and killed over 34 strikers. Speaking with Xinhua, Oren Dayan of School of Economic and Business Sciences at Wits University said the problem in the sector should be centered on salaries, work conditions and employment terms of miners and ‘any political spinoffs that are made based on this situation simply miss the target of helping the miners.’ “I would expect unions not to fight one another but to sit with the companies and negotiate reasonable terms that can be agreed upon.
