South Africa deputy president to meet mining firms, unions as platinum strike drags on

South Africa's Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe gestures while being recognized by the Speaker in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa November 27, 2013. REUTERS/Chris Wattie

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's deputy president will meet with the mining industry and unions on Thursday for a regularly scheduled forum aimed at bringing stability to the sector, as a crippling platinum strike approaches its ninth week.

Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe's spokesman Thabo Masebe said the meeting would have taken place even if there was no strike, but it could give the world's top platinum producers and the striking AMCU union a chance to meet for the first time since wage talks collapsed almost three weeks ago.