All-out push to get miners back to work

As violence continues to tear through the platinum belt, a desperate attempt to bring the mining strike to an end was being thrashed out last night.

Sources in the mining industry said they were pinning their hopes on the strike ending by Friday next week.

But their hopes might be short-lived as strikers continue to run riot, setting fire to two shafts at an Anglo Platinum mine near Rustenburg and torching a miners' training centre yesterday.

Attacks on foreign-owned businesses in townships surrounding the North West mines continue.

Miners in the Rustenburg area have targeted foreign-owned businesses because, they say, the mines are employing foreigners instead South Africans.

Business owners have barricaded their shops and removed stock.

The strikers are reportedly threatening to target schools and public transport next.

The police are deploying more men to suppress the violence and stop it from spreading.

So far, the violence has increased only in the Rustenburg area but strikes at gold mines in Gauteng and the Free State continue, with tens of thousands of miners downing tools.

A mining industry source, who not named because of his close involvement in the negotiations, said a way of dealing with the miners' demands was being worked out at the Chamber of Mines.

It was hoped that it would be possible to bring an end to the strike in a week's time.

"We are all hoping and praying. These are desperate times and call for beyond-human efforts to resolve the crisis and bring peace to the entire mining industry," he said.

Chamber of Mines spokesman Jabu Maphalala said a plan had been agreed with the National Union of Mineworkers.

It was designed to "protect collective bargaining and industrial relations on existing wage agreements".

Trade unions were to meet platinum industry bosses today and will next week discuss entry-level wages in the gold and coal sectors, he said.

Maphalala was quick to stress that this did not amount to re-opening wage negotiations.

North West police spokesman Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said additional forces were on patrol to protect law and order.

"We are leaving nothing to chance."