Witnesses say a South African mineworker has died after police used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse a protest in the northwestern town of Rustenburg.

Activists and fellow miners said the worker was shot by police outside the Anglo American Platinum mine Thursday night before during a clash between protesters and police. Some activists claimed that police used live ammunition, while other said the man was killed by a rubber bullet.

Police have not confirmed the incident, but say they are investigating reports that a body has been found at the scene.

The Rustenburg mine is not far from the Lonmin platinum mine in Marikana townships, where police killed 34 striking miners on August 16. A total of 45 people were killed during a violent five-week strike at the mine over a pay dispute.

The workers eventually won a 22 percent pay increase — a development that has triggered new strikes, as other mineworkers demanded wage hikes. The strikes have devastated South Africa's mining sector, which accounts for about 6 percent of GDP.