S.Africa miners end strike at Eastplats operation

* Miners return to surface

* Operations to return to normal on Monday

JOHANNESBURG, July 11 (Reuters) - Some 500 contract workers who staged a sit-in underground ended their two-day strike on Saturday at Eastern Platinum's mine in South Africa.

Eastplats (ELR.TO) (EPSJ.J) said in a statement miners at the Crocodile River mine returned to surface and operations would return to normal on Monday.

"The employees of the mining contractors involved in the illegal action voluntarily returned to surface ... on Saturday following successful mediation between the parties involved, and have been transported home," said Eastplats president and CEO Ian Rozier.

"Management expects that normal operations at the Zandfontein section will be resumed at the start of the morning shift on Monday 13 July."

Miners started the sit-in early on Thursday demanding to be employed permanently, a promise they say they were given by management, a local radio station reported. They were notified early on Thursday that management would not fulfil that promise.

Eastplats said in an earlier statement their demands were in contradiction of agreements in place. (Reporting by Phumza Macanda; Editing by Sugita Katyal)