The work of retrieving dead and living people from the mine began on Monday.
"During day two of the operations, a total of 106 living miners were rescued and arrested for illegal mining. 51 have been confirmed dead", the police write in a statement.
On Monday, when the authorities began using a machine to lift out the miners a few at a time, nine dead had been retrieved.
The mine is located in Stilfontein, about 14 miles southwest of Johannesburg.
The police have expressed concerns that hundreds more people may still be trapped in the mine. Since August, over 1,500 people who have engaged in illegal mining have been arrested.
Thousands of people are believed to be working illegally in abandoned mine shafts in South Africa. The efforts to force them out of the mine in Stilfontein began in November and there are reports that some of them have been there since the summer.
