South Africa's largest gold producer, Sibanye-Stillwater, on Thursday said one of its employees was shot dead in a violent strike that shuttered all three of its mines.
Called by the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), the strike began late on Wednesday, shutting down all of Sibanye's mines which employ some 32,000 people, in the latest test for the country's struggling mining sector.
"There has been quite a lot of violence and intimidation. It is a charged environment and emotions are (running) high," Sibanye spokesman James Wellsted told AFP.
"One of our employees was killed during the night. There have been a number of other injuries, including workers in hospital with gunshot wounds and stab wounds."