Four injured at shooting at South African mine

The latest incident, which took place close to Johannesburg, involved security guards who were reported to have fired on the miners.

The gold mine is partly owned by a company in which South African President Jacob Zuma’s nephew, Khulubuse, and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Zondwa, have a stake.

Miners have been involved in a long-running pay dispute with the company.

The latest shooting follows news that charges against 270 miners accused of killing their colleagues after a police shooting at the Marikana platinum mine had been withdrawn and that their release would begin on Monday.

‘Common purpose’

Police says they opened fire on the Marikana strikers in self-defence after being threatened by a crowd of protesters who advanced towards them, armed with machetes.

There was public outrage after the miners were arrested under an apartheid-era law under which they were deemed to have had a “common purpose” in the murder of their colleagues.

The police killing of the strikers last month at the Marikana mine, run by platinum producer Lonmin, was the worst such security incident since the end of white rule in 1994, and recalled scenes of state brutality from the apartheid era.

Talks to end the strike at Lonmin, the world’s third largest platinum producer, were resumed on Monday after weekend funerals for the dead workers.

Labour minister Mildred Oliphant, part of a government committee trying to broker an end to disputes at Marikana mine, said management and workers had agreed in principle to sign a two-year wage agreement.

Proposed deal

The minister said a deal depended on miners returning to work.

However, unions involved in the talks said a return to work was by no means certain, with 3,000 rock-drill operators and other striking miners holding out for a hefty rise in base pay.

In the case of Lonmin, the strike and violence stem from a turf struggle for members between the dominant National Union of Mineworkers and the small but militant Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union , which has flared across the platinum belt.