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CORRECTION: Petra's Cullinan diamond mine hit by strike

Roughly 200 workers at one of South Africa's oldest and best known diamond mines have embarked on an illegal strike and are demanding a salary of R12,500.

JOHANNESBURG (Sapa) - 

Roughly 200 workers at one of South Africa's oldest and best known diamond mines have embarked on an illegal strike and are demanding a salary of R12,500.

According to Petra Diamonds, "approximately 200 employees at the Cullinan mine (from a total of approximately 1,100) commenced strike action on the evening of Tuesday 16 October 2012."

According to company policy, the mine would not provide further details but confirmed that it is in discussions with the appropriate NUM representatives and that production has been temporarily affected at Cullinan.

It said it would provide a further updates in due course and reiterated that Cullinan is the only Petra mine affected.

 The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), the miners' official union, is not backing the strike, but it is still obligated to represent the striking workers, according to union representative Tebogo Mpahlele.

He said the NUM represented nearly 1200 workers.

Operations at the mine have ground to a halt, as nobody arrived for work on Wednesday.

The mine garnered international fame when it produced the 3106 carat Cullinan diamond in 1905.

More than 750 diamonds larger that 100 carats have been excavated at Petra, and it is the world's most notable producer of rare, sought after blue diamonds.