South Africa’s strike-hit platinum producers, Lonmin, Implats and Amplats, on Tuesday said they have lost total earnings worth R21.7 billion ($2.5bn) since the platinum wage strike started in late January this year.

The firms also admitted that workers had lost R9.6 billion ($895.5 million) in wages during the period of the strike.

The platinum producers disclosed this as talks with the militant Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) hit yet another deadlock on Monday this week.

This forced the minister of mineral resources, Ngoako Ramathlodi, to pull out of his mediation role in the strike as he had threatened at the weekend.

At the weekend, Ramathlodi told news agency, Sapa: “I am pulling out on Monday if they do not find each other. “If they do not find each other I wish them and South Africa luck.”

His decision to withdraw his services as a mediator on Monday has ruined expectations that the strike could wind-up soon. His withdrawal from his role has raised the spectre of yet another negative economic growth in the second quarter.

South Africa’s economy sagged 0.6 percent in the first quarter of this year. If this strike continues, recession could hit South Africa’s economy. This is in view of the fact that two quarters of negative growth could lead to a fully-fledged economic recession.

The five-month labour action has brought mines that generally represent 40 percent of the world’s platinum production to a standstill during the period of the strike.

Around 70,000 members of AMCU went on strike in January this year, demanding that their basic salary be raised to R12,500 (about $1,200) a month.