Residents have carried out the rescue operations, as police have refused to enter the shaft to retrieve those underground.

Upwards of 4,000 illegal miners are believed to be inside an abandoned shaft in the country's North West province. A government minister warned, "we are going to smoke them out."

The miners in the mineshaft in Stilfontein are believed to be suffering from a lack of food, water and other basic necessities after police closed off the entrances used to transport their supplies underground.

The South African Human Rights Commission has confirmed that it's investigating police actions in an operation against illegal miners trapped underground who have been deprived of food and water supplies.

South Africa's government says it will not help an estimated 4,000 illegal miners inside a closed mine in the country's North West province who have been denied access to basic supplies as part of an official strategy against illegal mining.

About 1,000 gold miners have already been arrested and the army and police are waiting for the rest.

South Africa’s government says it won’t help a group of illegal miners inside a closed mine in the country’s North West province who have been denied access to basic supplies as part of an official strategy against illegal mining.

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s government says it will not help about 4,000 illegal miners inside a closed mine in the country’s North West province as part of an official policy against illegal mining.

South Africa’s government says it will not help about 4,000 illegal miners inside a closed mine in the country’s North West province as part of an official policy against illegal mining.

The body has emerged a day after South Africa's government said it would not be helping the miners - who have had their supplies of food and water cut off as police try to force them to resurface.

Briefing the media on Wednesday, minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said it was “not the government’s job to retrieve criminals”.