Johannesburg - South Africa's index of platinum producers drops to its lowest level in 4-1/2-years, as investors hammer shares of Lonmin Plc and its rivals on fears of a revival of last year's industry-wide strikes.
Workers at Lonmin, the world's third-largest platinum producer, went on a wildcat strike on Tuesday, halting all of its mine operations and reigniting fears of deadly unrest.
Lonmin's Marikana mine was the epicentre of last year's strikes, where 34 protesting workers were killed by police in a single day in August.
Shares of Lonmin are down 6.3 percent at 37.72 rand, weighing on the platinum index, which earlier touched its lowest since October 2008.
Impala Platinum falls 5.4 percent at 98.66 rand, while Anglo American Platinum drops 2.7 percent to 304.40 rand. - Reuters