NUM praises KDC West miners for returning to work

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) congratulated members at Gold Fields for going back to work on Thursday after a lengthy strike.

"The [NUM] congratulates its members at KDC West for overwhelmingly returning back to work today, joining those that returned yesterday at Beatrix mine and Blyvoor," it said in a statement.

It called on other workers to do the same as the union continued talking to employers about issues they had raised.

NUM also appealed to employers to re-instate all dismissed workers to their positions and to "desist from inflaming emotions through negligent talk".

NUM president Senzeni Zokwana said: "We will continue to engage all other workers like we did with Beatrix, KDC and Blyvoor so that they do not play into the hands of the employers."

By noon around 50 percent of the workers at KDC West had clocked in, ahead of the 2pm ultimatum the company gave them.

"Approximately 50 percent have already clocked in," said company spokesman Willie Jacobsz.

Others headed up a hill outside the mine.

"We are going to the mountain today," miner Xolela Mabena said.

"We were suppose to report for duty today. Some of us went to the shaft. We tried to go to have a meeting at the stadium and then they said they would attack us," he said, referring to mine security.

Mine security staff in security vehicles and cars were stationed outside the stadium where the miners usually meet.

Hundreds of miners were seen standing around and some made their way towards the hill.

One man said the gates to the stadium were locked earlier in the morning, but were later unlocked.

Jacobsz said earlier that workers at the company's Beatrix one, two, three and four shafts had all reported for work, also ending their strike.

On Wednesday most of the workers at the Blyvooruitzicht gold mine near Carletonville suspended their unprotected strike and returned to work, owner Village Main Reef said.

Meanwhile, AngloGold Ashanti spokesman Alan Fine said there had been no change at their gold mines, where workers are also on strike.

Anglo Gold Ashanti has been placed on a "CreditWatch negative" rating by ratings agency Standard & Poor's which said the country's risk had increased due to the ongoing strike. This means it could downgrade the company's credit rating, currently BBB- -- the lowest investment grade for market participants.

The next grade is BB+ -- speculative grade.

The situation was the same at Harmony Gold's Kusasalethu mine near Carletonville, where workers were still on an unprotected strike.

"But all other operations are normal," said spokeswoman Henrika Basterfield.