Workers at Gold Fields' Beatrix number four shaft have heeded a final ultimatum to return to work and were all back before the deadline.
"There is a full turnout at Beatrix four," spokesperson for the mine Willie Jacobsz said on Thursday.
"At KDC West we have seen some people come back but it is still too early."
Workers at both mines have until 2pm on Thursday to be back or they would be fired, in terms of the ultimatum.
To ensure their return, safety measures were put in place for the workers who said they were scared of being hurt if they came back while the strike was on.
"There has been a high level of focus on the safety and security of the people and we have been working very closely with the police who have given tremendous support."
Details on getting the gold mine up and running to its full capacity again would be discussed later.
"Let us get the people back and we can talk about that," Jacobsz said.
Workers have been on an unprotected strike since September 24 over a range of issues which include unhappiness over the National Union of Mineworkers shop stewards, pay equalisation and a pay increase to R12 500.
The latest returns mean that workers at Beatrix's one, two, three and four shafts are all back and those at KDC West are returning. KDC East workers still need to return for the strike to be completely over. – Sapa