The Citizen reports that Clover Industries said it was “shocked and appalled” after a Fidelity security guard died while protecting a Clover delivery vehicle from striking workers in Olifantsfontein on Saturday.

Clover said the guard, Tsephe Molatsi, was in an escort vehicle assigned to protect a Clover delivery vehicle from attack by striking workers. According to the dairy producer, a white bus loaded with striking workers intercepted the delivery truck. The company claims the workers then attacked the truck and the escort vehicle. While some of the striking workers allegedly threw bottles and rocks at the truck and security officers, others started looting the truck. The security officers responded by firing rubber bullets. It was during this chaos that Molatsi was reportedly shot in the head and repeatedly beaten. The striking workers then fled with Molatsi’s shotgun when metro police officers arrived at the scene. Clover spokesperson Steven Velthuysen commented: “This is not industrial action; this is murder. We already have one interdict granted against the unions to prevent violence, which they have ignored. We have now applied for another one against the unions and certain union officials, which will be heard on Monday.” Employees belonging to the General Industries Workers Union of SA (Giwusa) and the Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) have been on strike at Clover since November over retrenchments.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard at The Citizen

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