South Africa's government says it is not willing to help around 4,000 illegal miners, who are believed to be inside an abandoned mine situated in the North West province.

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni told a media briefing on Wednesday that the government would not be sending help to the illegal miners — known locally as "zama zamas" — because they are involved in a criminal act.

'We are going to smoke them out' — government minister

"We are not sending help to criminals. We are going to smoke them out. They will come out. Criminals are not to be helped; criminals are to be prosecuted. We didn't send them there," Ntshavheni said.

South African publication Daily Maverick cited mining security analysts as doubting the number of "zama zamas" underground, saying as many as 2,000 was more "plausible."

The miners are in a shaft in Stilfontein, a mining town located around 155 kilometers southwest of Johannesburg.

They are believed to be running low on food and water after authorities throttled their supply lines with the intention of forcing them up to the surface.

More than 1,000 arrested

Over the past few weeks more than 1,000 have resurfaced and have been arrested by police as part of their "Vala Umgodi," — or "Close the Hole" operation.

South Africa's Ministry of Police and the Ministry of Defense planned to visit the North West province to meet with local authorities to look at operations around the Stilfontein mine and assess "challenges and work out appropriate responses."

"SAPS (The South African Police Service) remains resolute in its commitment to uphold law and order and urges all remaining illegal miners to adhere to police calls to resurface," the South African Police Ministry said in a statement.

Illegal mining in South Africa

South Africa had once been the world's largest producer of gold but that has been on the decline over the past few decades. A number of former mining operations now are abandoned and have fallen into disrepair.

Thousands of illicit miners pick through these shuttered mines in search of gold and other minerals in a practice considered extremely dangerous due to the state of the mines. 

Last year in June, at least 31 people died in a closed mine in the Free State province after a methane blast.

Many come from neighboring countries among them, Mozambique and Zimbabwe and Lesotho.

They often work in dangerous conditions but many of the miners themselves are considered to be dangerous by South African authorities. 

There have been numerous instances in which illegal miners have been suspected of being involved in violent crimes, including murders, robberies and rapes.

There are also turf wars involving heavily armed "zama zamas" fighting off rival outfits and who often take on local authorities themselves.

kb/lo (AP, DW sources)