Over 80,000 workers downed tools across South Africa’s platinum industry on January 23, and are holding out for a doubling of their entry-level salary to 12,500 rand a month.
Updated: April 06, 2014, 12:00 AM
In pictures: Drawn-out miners’ strike in South Africa as unions dig in
The strike has caused broader economic damage to local South African communities including Marika, above, with as much as 28,000 miner on strike since January. Siphiwe Sibeko / Reuters
A sign welcomes visitors to the E2 shaft mining area at the Marikana platinum mine, operated by Lonmin, in Marikana. Dean Hutton / Bloomberg News
A child sits outside a locked shack in Nkaneng township, Marikana’s informal settlement, in Rustenburg. Union members have downed tools at platinum-producing miners in a strike over wages. Siphiwe Sibeko / Reuters
Business has slowed for the owners of a mobile phone shop in Marikana in South Africa with the drawn-out strike of mineworkers. Siphiwe Sibeko / Reuters
Striking miners idle in the backyard of a shack in Marikana. An entry-level Lonmin worker earns 5,713 rand basic salary a month, but extra allowances and benefits push the package to 9,790 rand. Marco Longari / AFP
Convenience stor owner Daniel Waza, here inside his shop in Nkaneng township, counts among his customers the striking platinum miners. Siphiwe Sibeko / Reuters
Marikana residents manage to purchase only few items at shops after weeks of no income. Marco Longari / AFP