From BBC

Work has stopped at some of the world’s biggest platinum mines, as thousands of South African workers have gone on strike demanding a huge pay rise.

This is the biggest industrial unrest in South Africa’s platinum sector since the 2012 Marikana massacre, when police shot dead 34 striking miners.

Unlike 2012, the current strike is legal.

A separate strike in the gold sector also planned for Thursday has been postponed following a court ruling.

Judge Hamilton Cele said that a decision on whether the protest by the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) was “protected” – enabling workers to down tools without being dismissed or disciplined – would be taken on 30 January.

However, Amcu officials say that 70,000 of its members in the platinum sector will strike indefinitely.

The BBC’s Milton Nkosi in Johannesburg says that the union is demanding a “living wage” – of about 12,500 rand ($1,200; £690) a month – more than double the workers’ current pay.

Our correspondent says that most of the people taking part in the strike work deep underground as rock drill operators.

The world’s three biggest platinum producers – Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), Impala Platinum (Implats) and Lonmin Platinum – have confirmed receiving official notices of strike action by Amcu.

Written by Milton Nkosi | Read more from BBC