South Africa's National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on Friday condemned the violent attacks on foreigners, describing it as a "disgrace to our revolution".

"We need to bow our heads in shame," NUM president Senzeni Zokwana said, addressing NUM delegates at a two-day Central Committee meeting east of Johannesburg.

He said that it was unacceptable that people were chasing each other around with machetes and that the carnage was disturbing.

The attacks on foreigners, which spread across informal settlements in Gauteng and other provinces this week, have reportedly left more than 40 people dead and hundreds injured.

Two of South Africa's gold mines have now also reported that the clashes were impacting on its production, as foreign employees stayed away from work. The mining industry traditionally employed many foreign workers.

Mid-tier gold producer DRDGold has confirmed that two of its workers at its East Rand operation, ERPM, had been killed in the riots.

NUM general secretary Frans Baleni also spoke out against the xenophobic attacks, and called on all of the NUM branches to prevent any further violence.

The NUM said that there were rumours spreading that miners would kill foreigners, as they were being hired at less compensation, but Baleni stated that those rumours were untrue.

The NUM said that there was squalor and poverty in the informal settlements, and that people become irrational under those conditions.

However, it stated that foreigners could not be blamed for unemployment and poverty, and that solutions needed to be found for these problems.

Meanwhile, the union also condemned the high numbers of workers dying in South Africa's mines.

Zokwana said it was unacceptable for people to keep quiet about health and safety matters and only say something after someone had died. He emphasised the importance of preventing accidents and deaths.

Over 200 workers have lost their lives in mines in South Africa, which has the world's deepest gold mines, in 2007. The deteriorating level of mine safety has prompted the NUM to stage an one-day safety strike last year.

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