A revolution that will bring the platinum mining industry to its knees and cripple SA’s economy is imminent, says Joseph Mathunjwa, president of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu). In the past several months, mining houses have threatened to shed thousands of jobs. Speaking at the rally to commemorate the Marikana massacre in North West, Mathunjwa dared Lonmin bosses present with his ultimatum. Lonmin plans to retrench 12,500 minewokers by 2020, while Impala Platinum recently announced it was planning to reduce its headcount by 13,000 in the next two years. Mathunjwa said Amcu would stage a year-long strike to render the mines defunct if they proceeded with the plans. "We will bring the platinum belt to its knees and nothing will move here… We don’t fear you. "We are waiting for you. In 2014 we were not fully prepared but managed to transport all our members to their homes. "We will never fail, we paid school fees and bonds during a five-month strike. We’ll...

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.