A man has been set ablaze and another seriously wounded in clashes between South African police and striking workers near a mine owned by Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) company in the northern city of Rustenburg.

South African police reportedly shot and seriously injured a person on Thursday after outraged miners set a man alight amid escalated labor unrest in the country.

North West police spokesman, Brigadier Thulani Ngubane, said that at least one person “is fighting for his life” in the hospital after being shot and another one died of his injuries after being set ablaze by the workers. However, Ngubane did not confirm whether the bullet was fired by police.

The violence rekindled when Amplats, the world’s biggest platinum producer, fired 12,000 workers on October 5 after they held a wildcat strike for three weeks at its mine in Rustenburg.

Gaddafi Mdoda, a leader of the striking miners, said the mineworkers have vowed to make it impossible for Amplats to hire new workers if their demands for higher wages are not met.

Another strike leader, Evans Ramokga, said last week that the company would hire new workers only “over our dead bodies.”

Amplats was forced to close five of its mines last month after thousands of its workers went on strike.

About 80,000 miners are currently on strike in South Africa’s gold and platinum sectors in a wave of wildcat strikes that have had grave economic and political implications for the African nation.

The work stoppages began two months ago at a platinum mine owned by Lonmin PLC, where at least 45 people died in clashes between workers and police.

Press TV