Food and water had earlier been lowered in by rope.
Police on patrol nearby discovered that the men were trapped in the mine when a passer-by said he had heard voices of people screaming for help from underground.
Accidents are commonplace in South Africa’s mines, which are the deepest in the world.
At least eight miners were killed nearly two weeks ago after an earth tremor sparked an underground blaze at a Harmony Gold mine west of Johannesburg.
In July 2009, nine workers were killed in a rock fall in a platinum mine.
The same year, at least 82 people digging illegally in a disused gold mine shaft died when a fire broke out underground.
Minerals Minister Susan Shabangu last week lashed out at the poor safety record at regulated mining operations, where 14 deaths have been recorded in the first seven weeks of this year.
“One death is one too many,” she said on Thursday.
Throughout the 20th century, an estimated 69,000 people died in South Africa’s mining industry, according to a government-sponsored commission of inquiry.
But the number of fatal accidents has fallen sharply in recent years.
According to union figures, 112 people died in the mines in 2012.
South Africa’s gold output has steadily decreased over the past 40 years, sliding from top global producer to world number six.
It produced 167,235 kilogrammes of gold in 2012.
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