Nearly all the 15,000 South African gold miners who faced dismissal for going on an illegal strike have reported for duty, their company says, according to BBC News.

Gold Fields said that only 1,500 miners did not return for work on Thursday, Oct 18, and so have lost their jobs.

South Africa's mining sector - one of the world's biggest - has been hit by a wave of unrest recently, which has left almost 50 people dead.

Workers at several other gold mines remain on strike.

The unrest over pay has badly hit South Africa's economy, with the rand losing value and its credit rating downgraded.

In a bid to end the disputes, President Jacob Zuma this week called on workers to return to work and urged company executives to freeze their pay.

Gold Fields says that some 11,000 miners reported for duty on Friday at its KDC West mine. It says all the 2,800 workers at the Beatrix mine turned up for work on Thursday.

Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) - the world's biggest platinum producer - last week fired 12,000 striking workers.