Rustenburg - Motorists should be on the alert for striking miners pelting stones at vehicles when they travelled in the Rustenburg platinum belt, North West police said on Friday.
“The stern warning comes in the wake of the barricading of some routes and the pelting of motorists with stones,” Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said.
He said the areas affected included Mmantsere near Mogwase and the route between Zinniaville and the Khuseleka mine.
On Thursday morning, a bus transporting an Impala Platinum mine soccer team from Olympia Park stadium was stoned by a group of people at Freedom Park.
Ngubane said no injuries were reported and no arrests were made.
“We urge the striking employees to enjoy and exercise their right to strike in a peaceful and responsible manner,” he said.
Criminal acts and infringements of the rights of non-striking employees should not be condoned, he added.
Talks between trade union Amcu and platinum miners to resolve a wage strike are expected to resume on Friday.
The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) rejected a new wage offer tabled by Lonmin, Anglo American Platinum and Impala Platinum on Wednesday as it was not close to the workers' demand of a R12,500 monthly salary.
Amcu's national co-ordinator Evans Ramokga said workers earned R5000, and the union suggested that the R7500 gap be closed over three years, after which workers would ultimately earn the proposed R12,500.
Treasurer Jimmy Gama said the union would take a new mandate from workers and table a proposal to the platinum companies when they met on Friday.
The strike in the North West platinum belt is in its second week.
The platinum companies said hundreds of millions of rands had already been lost as a result of the strike. - Sapa