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

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.

About 20 miners surfaced from the colliery at Stilfontein this week as police guarded areas around the mine to catch anyone emerging from 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; criminals must be tried. We did not send them there,” Ntshavheni said.

Illegal mining continues This method, common in former gold mining regions of South Africa, allows miners to enter sealed shafts to find any 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.