Witnesses say a South African mineworker has died after police used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse a protest in the northwestern town of Rustenburg.
Activists and fellow miners said the worker was shot by police outside the Anglo American Platinum mine Thursday night before during a clash between protesters and police. Some activists claimed that police used live ammunition, while other said the man was killed by a rubber bullet.
Police have not confirmed the incident, but say they are investigating reports that a body has been found at the scene.
Source: Chamber of Mines of South Africa Figures for 2010
The Rustenburg mine is not far from the Lonmin platinum mine in Marikana townships, where police killed 34 striking miners on August 16. A total of 45 people were killed during a violent five-week strike at the mine over a pay dispute.
The workers eventually won a 22 percent pay increase - a development that has triggered new strikes, as other mineworkers demanded wage hikes. The strikes have devastated South Africa's mining sector, which accounts for about 6 percent of GDP.
Activists and fellow miners said the worker was shot by police outside the Anglo American Platinum mine Thursday night before during a clash between protesters and police. Some activists claimed that police used live ammunition, while other said the man was killed by a rubber bullet.
Police have not confirmed the incident, but say they are investigating reports that a body has been found at the scene.
South Africa's Mining Industry
South Africa's Mining Industry- Number of workers: 498,141
- Industry deaths: 128
- Key commodities mined: Diamonds, gold, platinum, palladium
- Real mining GDP: $12.06 billion
- Mineral exports: $36.25 billion
Source: Chamber of Mines of South Africa Figures for 2010
The workers eventually won a 22 percent pay increase - a development that has triggered new strikes, as other mineworkers demanded wage hikes. The strikes have devastated South Africa's mining sector, which accounts for about 6 percent of GDP.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
