An estimated 4,000 illegal gold miners are hiding underground in South Africa after the government cut off food and water in an effort to “smoke them out” and arrest them.
The miners have been in a mineshaft in Stilfontein, in the North West province, for about a month.
They have refused to cooperate with authorities as some are undocumented – coming from neighbouring countries like Lesotho and Mozambique – and fear being deported.
Illegal mining costs the South African government hundreds of millions of dollars in lost sales each year.
