platinum mine strikes heating up

RUSTENBURG, South Africa (Reuters) - South African riot police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon on Thursday at hundreds of striking miners who went on the rampage at Impala Platinum's Rustenburg plant, the world's single biggest platinum mine.

At least 50 officers, backed by armoured vehicles and two helicopters, moved into a shanty town near the mine after the miners torched homes in a dramatic escalation of a month-long strike that has hit the company and global platinum prices.

Police said one man had been killed overnight after a mob stripped him naked and beat him during a demonstration outside the plant, which accounts for as much as 15 percent of world platinum output.

Up to 5,000 miners blocked the road leading to the plant, which lies 120 km (80 miles) northwest of Johannesburg, and hurled stones at police, provincial police spokeswoman Adele Myburg said.

"This morning they regrouped, started intimidating people who wanted to go to the mine. There were people assaulted, vehicles were stoned," she said, adding that one female police officer had been injured by flying stones.

"The road was barricaded, vehicles travelling on that road were stoned, private vehicles as well as heavy-armed policed vehicles."

She said that police had made eight arrests, but the situation was still "very tense and hostile".

Production at Rustenburg, which accounts for 60 percent of Implat's output, came to a halt a month ago after the company sacked 17,000 employees following a January 12 wildcat strike over bonuses.