How many gold miners took part in the strike in South Africa?

Eighty thousand gold miners have begun a strike in South Africa. As the strike began the national union of mine workers said it would accept a 10% raise instead of their original demand of 60%.(22)The General Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers, Erans fialeni told the BBC. that if the gold companies offered a 10% wage increase, this would be accepted and the strike would he called off. Despite this development, the main gold mining union has also issued a hard-hitting statement, saying the strike would change the gold mining landscape forever. It said it was aware of the devastating impact industrial action would have on the economy, calling it largely a white man’s economy with no benefits for poor black mine workers.