Two men from a business situated in the industrial area sustained head injuries when they were attacked by strikers.

An eye witness, who wished to remain anonymous, said that strikers entered their workshop and started dancing and jumping on vehicles that stood parked inside.

Pieter van Vuuren was attacked by men wielding sticks and sjamboks when he tried to stop them from damaging the vehicles. Another worker, William Weir, was hit against the head when someone threw a rock at him.

Both men had to receive medical attention. They opened cases at the Middelburg police station on Wednesday.

During another incident a man was confronted after being dropped at the taxi-rank by a branded company vehicle. He was taken to Hlalamnandi where he was paraded around. The group of men planned to take him to a fellow Numsa member who is a co-worker to confirm his identity and then kill him.

The man managed to escape his attackers with minor injuries.

•Captain Khanyisile Zwane confirmed that two cases of assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm and one of common assault were opened.

In an unconfirmed case, a man is said to have lost his eye during strike-related violence. The incident is said to have happened in Mhluzi. No further details were known.

•NUMSA union official, Essau Tau, said that NUMSA is disputing the fact that the people causing the violence are NUMSA members.

Mr Tau said that it might be NUMSA supporters who are sympathetic to the strike but definitely not registered members.

“At the moment NUMSA is engaging in a peaceful strike with no reports of violence.”

He mentioned that criminals might also hi-jack the process to serve their own hidden agenda.