Industrial chaos threatens to spread in Africa's largest economy, following calls for a national sector strike in the wake of the violence at a South African mine.
The major protest by platinum miners continues to evolve into the biggest threat to the ruling African National Congress since it came to power in 1994.
The wave of labour unrest in Africa's major market has now spiralled beyond the control of the government and unions into a grass-roots rebellion by black South Africans who have seen little improvement in their lives since apartheid ended 18 years ago.
"On Sunday, we are starting with a general strike here in Rustenburg," protest leader Mametlwe Sebei told several thousand workers at a soccer stadium in the heart of the platinum belt near Rustenburg, 60 miles northwest of Johannesburg.
The action was designed to "bring the mining companies to their knees", he said to the crowd armed with sticks and machetes.
Despite the weapons, the strikers insisted their push for a sharp hike in wages was peaceful - even after the August 16 police shooting of 34 protesters at Lonmin's nearby Marikana platinum mine.
"There should be no blood," one placard read.
But investors have started to fret about the impact on wider economic growth, the rand fell more than 1% against the dollar on Thursday - compounding a 3% slide on Wednesday.
Most men at the soccer stadium said they worked for top producer Anglo American Platinum, commonly known as Amplats, which suspended operations at its four Rustenburg mines on Wednesday after they were blockaded by chanting marchers.
A group of more than 100 chanting strikers, many rhythmically waving sticks, accompanied protest leaders as they delivered a written memorandum laying out their demands to management offices near the Bleskop stadium.
Several police armoured vehicles kept back the larger crowd of miners as the delegation delivered the document.
It spells out demands for an increase of basic monthly pay to 12,500 rand (£930), plus for increased allowances that would take the total to 16,000 rand (£1,000) a month.
That wage would be more than double their current salary and also more than double per capita GDP in the country.
As the stick-waving miners accompanied their leaders back to the stadium, they chanted: "We won't give up!"
They said they would not return to work until top management - including Cynthia Carroll, chief executive of Amplats parent company Anglo American - came to hear them out and introduced a basic pay hike.
"She must come to the workers," a 32-year-old worker called Kasigo said.
"If they don't come, we won't work."
