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Three of South Africa's biggest mines were at a standstill today, with thousands of workers reiterating a growing call for a pay increase to 12-thosuand-500 rand.
The strike at Lonmin Platinum in Rustenburg went into its second month, with the company reporting an average 1.8 percent attendance at all its shafts today.
Further afield, near Carletonville, security guards fired teargas at strikers at Gold Fields' KDC west gold mine.
The company said they had been intimidating and threatening contractors, people at a training centre, and had rushed towards a train.
And late this afternoon Anglo American Platinum said it would suspend operations at its Rustenburg platinum operations out of concern for the safety of its employees.
CEO Chris Griffith said the situation in the Rustenburg area was volatile, and that people who wanted to go to work were being prevented from doing so by intimidation, with threats of violence.
"Anglo American Platinum has decided to suspend its operations in the Rustenburg area with immediate effect," he said in a statement.
"The suspension will continue until such time as operations can be safely resumed."
Griffith repeated the company's denials that its staff members were on strike.
