South Africa's National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has accused a rival union of using witchcraft to increase membership numbers. (© Erin Conway-Smith/GlobalPost/http://bit.ly/K7XdKO)

Claims of witchcraft divide mining unions in labor dispute

6/17/2012

South Africa's labor unions are waaaay more interesting than ours. The battle-like clash between National Union of Mineworkers and the smaller Association of Mineworkers and Construction Workers sounds like a plot thread from "Game of Thrones," but it frighteningly is very real. The NUM is accusing the AMCU of witchcraft, as they reportedly have a strong sangoma or witch doctor, who can bring fortune and cure erectile dysfunction for new AMCU recruits with gifts of muti (traditional medicines). The struggle for the majority between the two factions has escalated into fights that have cost four lives this year. Perhaps the real magic needed here is that of negotiation, so this dispute can end as peacefully as possible.

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Would you be more or less likely to join a union if it offered magical cures?