A wildcat strike at Sibanye Gold’s Cooke operations west of Johannesburg continued on Sunday and 138 illegal miners there have been arrested since the stoppage began on Tuesday, a company spokesman said. Sibanye said the strike, which has seen 16 miners assaulted in a wave of intimidation, was triggered by worker anger at a company drive to root out illegal miners, which has included the arrest of employees for collusion and a policy that forbids food in underground operations. Illegal gold mining has plagued South Africa for decades, with bullion pilfered from both operating and disused mines. Sibanye has vowed it will clear all illegal miners from its shafts by January 2018. The Cooke mines have been at the centre of illicit activities at Sibanye’s operations. Prior to the walkout, 101 illegal miners had been arrested this year along with 58 employees accused of collusion. Illegal miners can spend weeks underground, which requires large amounts of food and water — which is why Sib...
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