Suffering growing hunger pains and dire thirst, striking miners divided into two groups and -- despite some opposition -- resurfaced after spending three days underground.

On Tuesday night the underground protesting Gold One miners were divided, with one group demanding that they stick to their guns and continue protesting and the other demanding to abandon the sit-in.

It is alleged a group of 15 miners assaulted one miner who was leading a group that wanted to walk out of the organised sit-in.

The assaulted miner sustained injuries and was one of the first group of miners who were freed in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The 15 suspects are in police custody.

On Wednesday night, negotiations between the Gold One Mine, National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), and Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) collapsed with both unions refusing to compromise their demands.

The miners had been underground since Sunday. On Wednesday afternoon all the miners resurfaced from underground after around 200 emerged in the morning.

The incident was either a hostage situation or a sit-in, depending on who was speaking. AMCU said its members, who are demanding official recognition from mine management, stayed underground voluntarily.

But the NUM, which is the only recognised union in the mine's closed shop, disagreed.

Speaking to Scrolla.Africa the regional AMCU spokesperson, Tladi Mokoena said AMCU was denied access inside the mine.

"When we asked to engage with the underground miners we were denied access. They even denied us taking food to the miners yet we saw two food trucks delivering food and water to management.

"It is worrying that even after the miners resurfaced they were subjected to investigations and interrogation from the police without prioritising their health since they had been underground for three days.

"We are informed by the members that they are still denied food and water," he said.

Mokoena added that they are shocked that the police are involved in a labour dispute.

"They are paid by our taxes, their job is to protect but they are subjecting our miners to a hostage situation.

"Even though the miners have now surfaced, we will continue fighting harder even to ensure the rights of the miners are protected," he added.