Police fire tear gas at South Africa miners

The confrontation began when armed miners refused to hand over weapons to the police [Reuters]

A gathering at the Marikana mine in South Africa has turned violent, Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa reports. The confrontation began when police asked on Saturday a group of miners armed with machetes, sticks, and pistols to hand over their weapons. Many of the miners refused, and police then fired rubber bullets and tear gas into the crowd, causing it to disperse. Sightings of a military convoy have also been reported, suggesting that the government is moving to clamp down on unrest at the mine. Source:Al Jazeera