The world's two biggest platinum companies are aiming to resume discussions with workers over current wage disputes, as tension flared at one of the strike sites near Rustenburg.

Angloplat says it is planning to enter negotiations with the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) later today, while Implats yesterday held its own talks with the miners in a bid to end the strikes.

In a joint statement Implats and the NUM said they had sought to establish "a process whereby the current wage negotiations could be facilitated and brought to a successful conclusion".

Angloplat spokesman Mike Mtakati told Reuters that the firm was due to discuss the proposed pay increase today, adding that the company was "very hopeful" that "sanity will prevail and there will be a solution to this impasse".

"If the strike goes beyond next week, this would have a serious effect on production, but currently the effect remains minimal," he added.

Meanwhile, trouble broke out at an Angloplat mine near Rustenburg, as a roadblock staged by workers as part of their wage protest was broken up by police.

North West police said they had fired rubber bullets on the crowd after around 500 protestors gathered outside the mine and barricaded its entrance.

Captain David Serepa said that non-striking workers had allegedly been forced out of their trucks and made to join in the strike.

When, after around two hours some members of the crowd apparently began firing shots and throwing stones, Captain Serepa said the police had used force to defuse the situation.  A number of workers were injured and required hospital treatment.  National Union of Mineworkers regional chairman Dan Balepile said it was in fact the police who opened fire. "We as a union are gathering all the facts with an eye of laying complaints against the police. We view this in a very serious light," said Balepile.

In total around 35,000 workers at Angloplat and Implats are on strike, with the stoppages costing the companies millions each day.