Striking employees have returned to work at two AngloGold Ashanti mines and a shift has started at another where a final ultimatum had been issued, the company said on Tuesday.

"Where we are now is that workers at two of our Vaal River mines returned to work yesterday (Monday) and a first shift at Moab Khotsong is underground now," said spokesman Alan Fine.

The Vaal River mines are Kopanong and Great Noligwe.

Striking workers had until noon on Wednesday to return to work or risk being dismissed. Miners who failed to return to work would be issued dismissal letters and would be allowed to appeal.

Those who returned to work would receive the improved wage offer that was communicated to all employees by AngloGold Ashanti and separately by elected union representatives.

AngloGold Ashanti miners have been on strike since September for a monthly salary of R16,000.

AngloGold Ashanti lost around 32,000 ounces of production a week during the strike.

On Friday general secretary of the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) Zwelinzima Vavi was among a group of people who had stones thrown at them by some protesting miners at Moab Khutsong.

A police spokesman was not immediately available to say whether there had been arrests made in connection with this.

Cosatu was part of a delegation that was trying to convince striking miners to go back to work.