Fresh wildcat miners strike at Gold Fields Unrest in South Africa's mining sector continued to spread as Gold Fields said on Tuesday that a fresh wildcat strike had broken out at one of its mines involving about 9,000 workers. Coal of Africa also announced that employees at its Mooiplaats colliery had downed their tools after rejecting an increase to their salaries and benefits that they say would have equated to 22 per cent. It is the first industrial action to hit South Africa's coal sector since a crisis in the industry was triggered by a strike at platinum mines operated by London-listed Lonmin in Marikana last month. However, Coal of Africa said its strike at the mine, which employs 368 people, was legal, adding that the wage negotiations had been ongoing for some weeks. The company said unions were demanding 35 per cent increases. Gold Fields, meanwhile, said workers at shafts of its Beatrix mine, which produces about 900 gold ounces a day, were demanding a monthly salary of R16,000, the reinstatement of previously suspended miners and the dismissal of a senior executive. Another two-week strike at its KDC West mine, involving 15,000 workers, was also continuing, and in both cases the miners have sought to represent themselves rather than unions complicating efforts to resolve the disputes. AngloGold Ashanti, the world's third-largest gold producer by sales, is also dealing with a wildcat strike involving 5,000 people at its Kopanang mine that began on Thursday. The wave of strikes began at Lonmin on August 10. Its six-week strike was marred by intimidation and violence in which 45 people died. It was resolved after the group agreed to pay and benefit increases of up to 22 per cent, but the wildcat strike and subsequent settlement raised fears that it could set a dangerous precedent for the industry. Anglo American Platinum, the world's biggest platinum producer, is still grappling with a strike at five shafts in Rustenburg with less than 20 per cent of its 26,000 staff turning up for work.