Evans Ramokga, an Amplats strike leader, has told the Associated Press that a miner was run over by a police armoured car and dragged several metres before it stopped yesterday. He said the man died overnight in hospital.

Police said that on Wednesday they had fired rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades to break up a march by thousands of strikers at Amplats mine near Rustenburg.

The mine belongs to Anglo American Platinum, which is the world’s largest platinum producer.

During the chaos yesterday, a miner was run over by an amoured vehicle and dragged several metres before the vehicle came to a standstill.

Police spokesperson Dennis Adriao said he was unaware of the incident but added the armoured cars weigh several tons.

Evans Ramokga told the AP that the miner died overnight in hospital.

A second death has also been reported in relation to the police crackdown on miners. Cosatu and another strike leader said today that ANC councillor Paulina Masuhlo was shopping on Saturday near the Never Die Tavern in Wonderkop when police began firing from a speeding armoured car and hit several women.

Masuhlo was hit in the abdomen and leg and rushed to the hospital, where she died on Wednesday.

Adriao said he was investigating the report of a death, and said police had reported to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate that several people were hit by rubber bullets in a raid to disarm strikers on Saturday, the day after the government ordered the crackdown.

[Source: News24]