According to the National Union of Mineworkers, the government's intervention in the platinum belt is yet to come into effect as violence and intimidation continues. The union spoke on Monday after its leaders met over the weekend. It was tight-lipped on the allegations against Cosatu's Zwelinzima Vavi, highlighting the differences Cosatu's two biggest unions, the NUM and Numsa. By GREG NICOLSON & THAPELO LEKGOWA.

National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) general secretary Frans Baleni expressed shock at the ongoing violence in the platinum belt and appealed to all signatories to Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe's Framework Agreement for a Sustainable Mining Industry to meet their commitments to ensure a stable mining industry. The union's national executive committee (NEC) said violence and intimidation continues almost a month after mining stakeholders signed the agreement, making a "mockery" of the initiative.

"The NUM is of the view that the deputy president must urgently act in operationalising that framework as agreed by the parties," said Baleni, speaking in the union's offices. "We are making a call that this framework has not been operationalised. Besides that, being operationalised, crime continues to be committed in terms of intimidation [and] violence." He said there are 14 murder cases where no suspect has been arrested and in cases where arrests have been made prosecutions are yet to begin...