Police arrested at least 350 people after deadly violence during an illegal strike at the world's largest platinum mine run by South Africa's Impala Platinum, a senior officer said Sunday.
Police arrested at least 350 people after deadly violence during an illegal strike at the world's largest platinum mine run by South Africa's Impala Platinum, a senior officer said Sunday.At least one person died as rival groups of workers clashed, with roads blocked, cars stoned, shops looted and a small police station torched on Thursday and Friday outside the northwestern town of Rustenburg.Police Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said at least 350 people had been arrested and faced charges ranging from public violence to theft.Many miners went home for the weekend, leaving the site quiet, but Ngubane warned that Monday could see fresh unrest."The people responsible must put an end to this. That is all we are asking for," he told the Sapa news agency.Many of the shops looted during the unrest belonged to Somali and Ethiopian immigrants, about 100 of whom had fled their businesses to seek shelter in nearby areas, he added.The strike began on January 20, but a court declared it illegal, allowing the company to sack more than 17,000 workers who did not return to work.