In an interview with Al Jazeera, Senzo Mchunu says authorities do not know how many people are trapped in the disused goldmine in Stilfontein.

South Africa’s police minister has pledged to rescue all the people still trapped in an abandoned goldmine in the northwestern town of Stilfontein “as soon as possible”.

In an interview with Al Jazeera on Friday, Senzo Mchunu said the exact number of people underground is still not known.

The authorities have been stationed for weeks outside the abandoned pit in Stilfontein, about 150km (100 miles) southwest of Johannesburg, intermittently blocking locals from sending down food and water to try to force the miners out.

The operation has triggered outrage with some fearing that the men could be starving or even dying underground.

Police had earlier indicated that up to 4,000 miners may be trapped. On Thursday, police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said they believe that number was exaggerated and gave an estimate of 350 to 400 miners.

Describing the conditions in the shaft, which the police have sought to check through camera surveillance, Mchunu said six to seven people who are at the top of the shaft are “commanding the whole thing”.

“The food and water that trickle down would be under the control of those people. … They command everything there, and people below are kept against their will,” he said.

Three teenagers who recently emerged, one 19 and two aged 16, told Al Jazeera about the mistreatment they faced.

“The men who hire us sometimes don’t give us food. But we see them eating every day. If you complain, they beat you up,” said one of the three who comes from Mozambique.

The three said they were not rescued by the government but came out because they were allowed to.

It is unclear how long the miners have been underground because they are reported to often stay there for months, depending on supplies of basic necessities like food and water from the outside.

The police’s “Vala Umgodi”, or “Close the Hole”, operation has cut off miners’ supplies to force them to return to the surface and be arrested.

This week, 14 people, including a teenage boy, who emerged unassisted were arrested.

President Cyril Ramaphosa defended the police for blocking supplies in a bid to force the miners out.

“So far, more than 1,000 miners have surfaced and been arrested,” Ramaphosa said last week, calling the site in Stilfontein “a crime scene”.

“Those in good health are detained and will be processed according to the law. Those who require medical care will be taken to hospital under police guard,” he said.

Illegal gold mining is widespread in South Africa, a one-time mining giant. Thousands of people routinely search for gold deposits in abandoned mines that are no longer deemed viable or safe. More than $1bn is lost annually in revenue because of illegal mining, according to the government.

Mchunu noted that poverty and lack of jobs in South Africa often forces people to mine illegally to earn a living. He said the police should look into options of turning illegal mining into a legal activity.

Nationals of Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Mozambique are also victims of illegal mining in South Africa.

Mchunu recommended talking to South Africa’s neighbours about the matter.

They should “look after their citizens by creating jobs and not allow them to be illegal migrants to South Africa”, he said.