Some 7,000 black miners went onstrike at South African gold and coal mines, the National Union
of Mineworkers (NUM) said.
    A NUM spokesman said 6,000 workers began an underground
sit-in at the Grootvlei gold mine, owned by General Union
Mining Corp, to protest the transfer of colleagues to different
jobs.
   He said about 1,000 employees of Anglo American Corp's New
Vaal Colliery also downed tools but the reason for the stoppage
was not immediately clear. Officials of the two companies were
not available for comment and the NUM said it was trying to
start negotiations with management.
 Reuter
