Tensions ran high at the gold mine almost two months ago when a turf war between rival unions NUM and AMCU saw hundreds of workers stuck underground for three days.
About 447 miners at Gold One Modder East mine, Springs, have not resurfaced since Thursday night's shift in an alleged sit-in protest against dismissals.
The Gold One Modder East mine's head of legal, Ziyaad Hassam, said the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) has distanced itself from the