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.

South African police confirm the partly decomposed body of one miner had been brought to the surface from inside the Stilfontein mine in the country's North West province Thursday ... countries who come to South Africa without the paperwork necessary ...

South Africa's government says it will let thousands of illegal miners starve until they accept their fate and emerge from an abandoned shaft to face arrest.

Senzo Mchunu's comments seem more conciliatory than those of a cabinet minister who previously said the government would not send help because they were "criminals".

An estimated 4,000 illegal miners are still trapped underground at an unused mine in Stilfontein, North West Province of South Africa.

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."

Police closed off the entrances for moving supplies underground, cutting off miners’ supplies to force them to resurface for arrest.

Several hundred people are believed to remain in an illegal mine in South Africa after the government cut off vital supplies and refused to help them, in a dramatic bid to crack down on the industry.

Up to 4,000 illegal miners are estimated to be underground in an abandoned mine while South African authorities try to clear them out and arrest them.View on euronews