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JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The ruling ANC party dismissed threats of a national strike during the World Cup, but a fresh stoppage loomed after a miner's union said 3,000 workers would down tools at diamond producer De Beers.

The African National Congress' Secretary General Gwede Mantashe said the party did not expect any strikes during the world's premier sporting event.

Labour federation COSATU, a powerful ally of the ruling African National Congress with nearly 2 million members, has said it may strike during the World Cup over sharp power price hikes if authorities fail to lower the tariffs.

Any strike could disrupt services and embarrass President Jacob Zuma's government which is hosting the first World Cup ever held on the continent.

"We take that in good faith that there will not be any strikes during (the) World Cup," Mantashe told a news briefing in London.

A fresh strike loomed after the National Union of Mineworkers -- the country's biggest union -- said 3,000 workers at De Beers, in which Anglo American Plc has a stake, would strike over pay from Sunday.

De Beers, the world's largest diamond producer, said the wage talks were still ongoing and the union's call for a strike was premature.

A three week transport strike over wages at South African logistics group Transnet, which ended on Thursday, caused a huge backlog of cargo at ports, which the company said would take up to two months to clear after workers returned to work on Friday.