The South African government has said it will not help a group of illegal miners at a closed mine in the country’s North West province who have been denied access to key resources as part of an official strategy against illegal mining.

Miners at the Stilfontein mine are believed to be left without food, water and other basic needs after police blocked entrances used to move their supplies underground.

This is part of the police’s Vala Umgodi or Closing the Hole operation; This operation includes cutting off the miners’ supplies to force them to return to the surface and be arrested.

But on Thursday afternoon, police spokeswoman Athlenda Mathe said they believed the number was exaggerated and perhaps much less than that, and that the figure was estimated at between 350 and 400 miners.

“We believe the numbers are exaggerated. We have allocated maximum resources to this case, including our intelligence officer who is on the ground and in contact with all stakeholders.

“We managed to estimate the numbers to be between 350 and 400,” Ms Mathe said.

South African police and defense ministers are expected to visit the mine on Thursday and engage with officials and community members on the ground, the official added.

Stilfontein is one of the mines targeted by the police, who have intensified their operations in the North West province since October 18.

It is unclear how long the current group of miners have been underground, as groups are reported to often remain underground for months, depending on external provision of basic needs such as food and water.

“We have taken a decision that no police officer, no soldier, no government official will descend into an abandoned mine. The risk of loss of life is high,” Ms Mathe said.

Over the past few weeks, more than 1,000 miners have turned up at various mines in the North West province, with many reportedly weak, hungry and sick after weeks without basic supplies.

Police continue to guard the areas around the mine on Thursday to catch anyone coming out of the underground.

Cabinet Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni told reporters on Wednesday that the government will not send any aid to illegal miners because they are involved in criminal activity.

“We do not send aid to criminals. We will extinguish them with smoke. They will go out. Criminals should not be helped. We did not send them there,” said Ms Ntshavheni.

Illegal mining remains widespread in South Africa’s former gold mining areas; miners enter closed shafts to find possible remaining deposits.

Illegal miners mostly come from neighboring countries, and police say the illegal operations involve larger syndicates that employ the miners.

Their presence in closed mines has also created problems with nearby communities, who complain that illegal miners are committing crimes ranging from robbery to rape.

Illegal mining groups are known to be heavily armed, and disputes between rival groups sometimes result in deadly clashes.