TMG DigitalTimesLive write that the Rustenburg platinum belt is once again set to become a scene of intense contestation as the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) launches a multi-pronged fight-back strategy to regain lost ground.  

The union lost huge numbers of members to the rival Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) after the so-called Marikana massacre in August 2012.  About 700 NUM regional leaders will this week discuss proposals at its central committee meeting on 8 & 9 June aimed at returning the union to its heyday as the dominant mining union.  These include capping subscription fees (calculated at 1% of basic salary) at R250 per month to stem the loss of members in senior positions whose higher salaries translate into significantly higher fees than the proposed threshold.  NUM deputy general secretary William Mabapa said the union was wary of losing highly-paid members to the likes of Solidarity and Uasa‚ because they capped their subscription fees.  The union will hold a rally in the Rustenburg platinum belt on Saturday, 10 June‚ emboldened by the apparent closure of Amcu’s office at Lonmin.

• Read this report by Olebogeng Molatlhwa in full at TimesLive

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