This report contains images that may disturb some viewers .
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Police minister confirms at least 30 deaths in crackdown on striking workers in platinum mine in North West province.
South Africa's police minister says more than 30 people have been killed in a shooting at a mine in North West province.Police shot at the workers who were protesting on Thursday afternoon over pay at the Lonmin platinum mine in Marikana.
Asked in an interview on South Africa's Talk Radio 702, whether he could confirm reports of at least 30 deaths, Nathi Mthethwa, the police minister, said "Yes."
He later clarified: "I'm talking yesterday only."
"Police did everything they could ... but people [miners] said they were not leaving and are prepared to fight,” he told the radio station.
Zweli Mnisi, the police ministry spokesman, said an investigation into the shooting has begun.
The protest and ensuing violence at the platinum mine, which began a week ago, had earlier killed at least 10 people there, including two police officers. It has also drastically affected production at the mine.
Police attacked
On Thursday, the crowd of striking miners had charged a line of officers trying to disperse them, police said.
The shooting happened after police failed to get the striking miners to hand over machetes, clubs and other weapons.
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The incident, captured by Reuters photographers, drew condemnation from the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, social media users and evoked comparisons with apartheid-era brutality.
Jacob Zuma, South Africa's president, on Thursday said he was "shocked and dismayed at this senseless violence. We believe there is enough space in our democratic order for any dispute to be resolved through dialogue without any breaches of the law or violence".
"We call upon the labour movement and business to work with government to arrest the situation before it deteriorates any further," Zuma said in a statement, in what appeared to be one of the bloodiest police operations since the end of white-minority rule in 1994 in Africa's biggest economy.
South African newspaper, The Sowetan reported on Thursday that police officers had earlier said that negotiation with leaders of the rival union Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) had broken down, leaving no option but to disperse them by force.
"Today is unfortunately D-day," Dennis Adriao, police spokesman, was quoted as saying on Thursday.
Earlier on Thursday, Lonmin said in a statement that striking workers would be fired if they did not appear at their shifts on Friday.
"The striking [workers] remain armed and away from work,'' the statement read. "This is illegal."
'Illegal strike'
The unrest at the Lonmin mine began on August 10, as some 3,000 workers walked off the job over pay in what management described as an illegal strike.
Those who tried to go to work on Saturday were attacked, management and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said.
On Sunday, the rage became deadly as a crowd killed two security guards by setting their car ablaze, authorities said.
By Monday, angry mobs killed two other workers and overpowered police, killing two officers, officials said.
Officers opened fire that day, killing three others, police said.
The protest and ensuing violence, which began a week ago, have killed at least 10 people there, including two police officers.
Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies
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