Har-mony Gold Mining Company said Friday that 1,700 miners had refused to return to the surface and were staging an underground strike at the Kusasalethu mine, outside Johannesburg. The protest is being led by the militant AMCU union, a smaller rival to the mainstream NUM organisation, the company said. On Thursday, the South African Press Association reported that five mineworkers were injured in clashes with security guards at Kusasalethu.

South Africa's third biggest gold producer subsequently said it was closing the mine "a day earlier than planned for the festive season, following violent behaviour and damage to mine infrastructure on the surface." The violence came after the company fired more than 500 workers who had taken part in an illegal strike last week. The workers staging the underground sit-in want their dismissed colleagues to be reinstated. South Africa has witnessed a turbulent year in its mining sector, with violent strikes leaving dozens dead and causing massive gaps in production. Investor confidence has also been shaken by concerns that the government could move ahead with nationalisation, though the ruling African National Congress recently said the state would not seek to grab resources.

Copyright Deutsche Presse-Agentur, 2012