SOUTH Africa’s government is refusing to help a group of illegal miners occupying a closed mine who have been denied access to essential supplies as part of an official strategy to counter illegal mining.

The miners in the shaft at Stilfontein in north-west province are believed to lack food, water and other basic necessities after police closed off the entrances.

Police had said that up to 4,000 miners may be underground, citing people who recently helped bring three miners to the surface, but police spokeswoman Athlenda Mathe said on Thursday afternoon that the number was believed to be exaggerated, giving an estimate of between 350 and 400 miners.

It’s unclear how long the current group have been underground as illegal miners are reported to often stay underground for months, depending on receiving supplies from the outside.

Speaking on Wednesday, cabinet minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said: “We are not sending help to criminals. We are going to smoke them out.”

Illegal mining remains common in South Africa’s old gold-mining areas, with miners, often from neighbouring countries, going into closed shafts to dig for any remaining deposits.

Police say that syndicates employ the miners, who are are known to be heavily armed and are often accused by local residents of committing crimes ranging from robberies to rape.