500 mine workers held hostage underground in South Africa

A total of 543 workers of Gold One Mine, a gold mine located east of Johannesburg, have been held hostage underground since Sunday, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) of South Africa said on Tuesday, reported Xinhua.

The miners went down on Sunday night and have been prevented from coming out by some armed group, Mlulameli Mweli, interim regional secretary for the NUM, told Xinhua by phone. "Some of them are diabetics and on different chronic medications, and they have not had access to food since Sunday night."

"As I am speaking to you, I am at the Gold One Mine where our members are being held against their will. Nine NUM members got injured after being assaulted by the hooligans who prevented them from coming to the surface," said Livhuwani Mammburu, spokesperson for the NUM.

The NUM has called on the country's law enforcement agencies to intervene and go underground and arrest the hooligans, said Mammburu, adding that the workers are being held by the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union, a rival union that wants to be recognized at the mining company.

Gold One Mine said in a statement that it is engaging with the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, and the police to resolve the matter.