S.Africa miners hold bosses hostage over contracts

JOHANNESBURG, July 10 (Reuters) - Some 500 contract workers at Eastern Platinum's (ELR.TO) (EPSJ.J) mine in South Africa have been holding five supervisors hostage underground since Thursday, a local radio station reported on Friday.

The miners at the Crocodile River mine demand to be employed permanently, a promise they say they were given by management.

They were notified early on Thursday that management would renege on that promise, the radio station reported. The mine could not be reached despite various attempts and it was not clear whether the mine was still operating.

SAPA news agency reported separately that mine management and union leaders had gone down to try to negotiate with the miners.

"Two hostages were released, but then the situation became heated and another hostage was grabbed. Members of the mine management and unions had to flee when the mine workers stoned them," it quoted North West police inspector Brian Dlamini as saying. (Reporting by Agnieszka Flak and Phumza Macanda; Editing by Ben Tan)