Reuters reports that Richards Bay Minerals, which is run by Rio Tinto, has been closed since Friday due to violent community protests that saw a security guard killed earlier this week.  

"Due to the escalation in activity around the blockades on the access roads, staff were sent home on Friday.  Our highest priority is the safety of our people," a Rio Tinto spokesperson said on Wednesday.  Mzi Zakwe, the regional secretary for the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), said the union's 900 members were on forced leave because of the violence, which he said was rooted in grievances between the company and contractors.  Unrest has previously hit the area, which is near SA’s main coal terminal.

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