South Africa cuts supplies to illegal miners hiding underground

Relatives of miners and community members wait near the shaft of a closed mine where illegal miners are inside in Stilfontein, South Africa (Jerome Delay/AP)

South Africa’s government says it will not 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.

The miners in the mineshaft in Stilfontein are believed to be suffering from a lack of food, water and other basic necessities after police closed off the entrances used to transport their supplies underground.