JOHANNESBURG - South Africa’s mines minister appealed for calm on Monday after protests around the town of Steelpoort, on the eastern edge of the platinum belt, disrupted mining operations in the area. South Africa’s mining industry has been rocked over the past three years by periodic outbreaks of violence and labour unrest about pay and conditions. Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), which owns 50 percent of the Mototolo mine in the area, said its production had not been disrupted. The company and mining industry sources said protests over the past few days were related to community grievances about poor roads. It was unclear how many people had been involved. One source said roads had been blocked near Steelport, a mining town in the northeast of the country, and some trucks had been petrol bombed. “The protests have resulted in, among others, disruptions in the operations of the mines in the area,” the department of mineral resources said in a statement, but did not name any companies. Mines minister, Ngoako Ramatlhodi, said in the same statement that he would visit the area on Tuesday. “The right of people to protest is protected by our Constitution. However, we condemn acts of violence and intimidation associated with the protests, and appeal for calm by all concerned,” he said, without giving further details. Amplats said its output had not been affected. “No production has been impacted, and with regards to transport we are using an alternative road as the protests have been concentrated at a specific area,” a spokeswoman for Amplats said. Protests over the poor state of roads, power and other government services erupt frequently in South Africa’s poor townships. A spokeswoman for African Rainbow Minerals, which operates the nearby Modikwa and Two Rivers Platinum mines, said the company was aware of protests in the vicinity but that its operations had not been affected. Other mining assets in the area include a chrome mine recently acquired by Assore.