Politician Julius Malema said on Saturday his EFF party - the country's third-largest after the elections - would give money to platinum miners going without wages during the lengthy strike.
Malema supports the protracted stoppages by over 80 000 members of the Association for Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) at the world's top three platinum producers.
The money would go towards supporting miners with financial difficulties, he added, without divulging how much the party would donate.
The strikers have gone without salaries for over 15 weeks since the strike started to demand that the entry-level wage be more than doubled.
Amcu members at Lonmin , Impala and Anglo American Platinum operations in Rustenburg and Northam in Limpopo downed tools on 23 January, demanding a basic salary of R12 500.
Unrest
Amcu gained massive traction when it used the figure as a rallying call during violent unrest on the platinum belt two years ago.
Employers have offered the sum in a package that includes salary and cash allowances, saying they cannot afford to pay the R12 500.
Talks between the miners and Amcu have collapsed, but Malema said the strike should continue.
"Let those mines not operate until our people get what they want," he said.
"We are tired of the exploitation of our workers by white capital."
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