PROTESTS broke out at a mine in South Africa’s North West Province yesterday after bosses locked workers out at short notice.

Photos sent to the Morning Star appeared to show miners gathered in the road outside the Maseve mine between Rustenburg and Sun City.

It lies near the Implats and Marikana mines, where during a 2012 strike police killed over 40 striking miners following wildcat strikes provoked by management which saw breakaway miners' union AMCU launch lethal attacks on members of the National Union of Mineworkers.

A letter from Canadian owner Platinum Group Metals dated on Saturday said operations at the mine would be reduced for “restructuring” and a move to a new “hybrid” mining method.

That was reportedly after production fell well below levels forecast when the mine was commissioned last year.

The company said employees would be placed on paid leave while the changes were made, adding that was not expected to exceed 60 days.

But miners gathered yesterday in protest outside the mine gates, complaining they had only been informed of the closure that morning.

A message on social media warned: “There is a march that just turned violent,” in front of the Sundown Ranch hotel across the road from the Maseve mine.

Another message read: “We have about six employees there from our company and that mine didn’t have decency to give prior notice even to us, except only an email sent this morning stating that the mine will close its doors with immediate effect.”

The Maseve closure comes on the heels of Anglo American subsidiary AngloGold Ashanti’s announcement of 8,500 job losses on the Johannesburg gold reef.

international@peoples-press.com