Police in the North West province say they are convinced the 20 decomposing bodies found in Orkney were those of men from Lesotho.
The badly decomposed bodies, which were found in different locations were wrapped in plastic.
Initial reports suggested that the bodies had been burnt.
Police Captain Brain Kalala said some of the bodies had name tags with telephone numbers from Lesotho.
“We are working hand in hand with police in Lesotho to trace their next of kin,” said Kalala.
If the next of kin can be traced in Lesotho they would be brought to South Africa to confirm the identity of the deceased.
The first bodies were found on Tuesday evening outside an unused mine shaft in Lawrence Park.
Sabata Mokgwabone, spokesperson for the police said other bodies were discovered the next day along Ariston Road, near the railway line in Orkney bringing the total number to 20.
The dead men were thought to have been mining unlawfully when they met their demise.
“All the deceased are suspected to be illegal miners,” said Mokgwabone.
Before the bodies were found a video had been doing the rounds on social media of a man pleading for assistance following what he said was a smoke inhalation occurrence at shaft number six.
Mokgwabone said the police were trying to establish if the bodies were linked to the incident alleged in the video.
