World / South Africa 13 Shot, Hacked in South Africa Mine Security guards fire rubber bullets amid union-related fight By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff Posted Feb 18, 2013 11:49 AM CST Copied A striking miner shouts at a friend at his home in an informal settlement near a mine near Rustenburg, South Africa, on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell) A labor dispute at a South African mine saw at least 13 workers and security guards shot with rubber bullets or hacked with machetes, according to local reports. Security guards opened fire at the Anglo American Platinum mine, as union factions squared off, Reuters reports. There were no fatalities, though a police spokesman says members of one union "survived by running for their lives." The scuffle follows the company's announcement of job cuts last month. (More South Africa stories.) Report an error