AMCU officer leader gunned down outside home

An office bearer of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU)‚ Mvelisi Biyela‚ was shot dead outside his home in the mine village of Wonderkop in the North West platinum belt on Friday night‚ the union has disclosed.

Biyela‚ who was the union’s health and safety office bearer at Lonmin‚ was gunned down in front of his wife and six-year-old daughter at around 8.30pm‚ AMCU said‚ charging that its leadership was under siege in the platinum belt region with more than five union officials killed over the past few months.

“His killing has left us chilled‚ shaken but steadfast in our determination to defeat this outrage. Those that think their cowardice can defeat this mighty union built on the spirit of many that have paid the ultimate price‚ spilt their blood‚ left us with just their bones‚ must think again. We will not be intimidated. We will not be cowered‚” said AMCU president Joseph Mathunjwa.

“Yesterday’s killing tells us that a war has been declared against AMCU and if it is war‚ then let it be known we can fight. We don’t have‚ nor do we believe in killing machines to wage war. We will not fight with bullets‚ guns and anonymous hitmen but with mass action. We will fight with a much greater weapon: the unity of AMCU‚” Mathunjwa warned‚

He said it was “quite outrageous that the killing of our members continues‚ now on a daily basis with no response from the state‚ the mining industry or the media”.

“We wonder whether a new campaign is being unleashed by the state and its allies against our militant and independent union. We wonder if this is a continuation of the dirty tricks campaign led by President Zuma and the NIA when they sponsored the building of an opposition union‚ WAU‚ aimed at defeating AMCU?” Mathunjwa said.

He warned that the union’s members would not be “slaughtered like flies” and would fight back.

“Over the last months more than five leaders have been killed. No arrests have taken place. AMCU conducted a private investigation and the assailants with evidence was handed to the police‚” he said.

Mathunjwa said that AMCU would hold a media conference on Tuesday where it would announce a campaign of rolling mass action to “defeat the campaign to kill our union and its leadership”.

North West police could not immediately be reached for comment.