With military and police forces stationed at the entrances of a closed mine in South Africa’s North West Province, thousands of illegal miners remain trapped underground, fearing arrest. Reports indicate they are running out of food and water as the standoff continues.

Hundreds of illegal miners trapped in an abandoned gold mine in South Africa are refusing to surface despite being without food and water. The miners are defying police orders in a standoff that has drawn national attention.

Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, a police spokesperson, reported that while 1,173 miners in Stilfontein, located in the North West Province, have surrendered, many others remain underground. Authorities have cut off supplies to force them out, but the miners continue to resist.

Efforts to convince the miners to emerge are ongoing, but Mathe emphasized the dangers of the site and the refusal to risk officials' safety by entering the hazardous mine. "We cannot support crime by providing food and essentials to an active crime scene," Mathe stated, underscoring the commitment to halting illegal activities.

Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, reinforced the government's stance, declaring that no assistance would be extended to those engaged in criminal acts. “We are not sending help to criminals. We are going to smoke them out,” she asserted, emphasizing the use of security forces to compel the miners to surface, where they would face apprehension.

Last week, over 1,000 miners emerged after authorities severed their food and water supplies. However, officials believe that several hundred individuals remain underground. A decomposed body was recovered on Thursday, with pathologists called to the scene to investigate.

The miners, locally referred to as "zama zamas," operate in South Africa's disused gold and diamond mines, often under dire conditions and with ties to organized crime. Illegal mining remains a significant issue, costing the South African government and mining industry hundreds of millions of dollars annually in lost sales, taxes, and royalties, according to industry estimates.