A sudden gold rush has taken hold in the township of Springs, east of Johannesburg, where dozens of residents have begun digging a field believed to contain traces of the precious metal,AFPreported.
The site, previously a cattle enclosure, drew crowds from February 8, when residents first noticed unusual soil while digging a fence-post hole, according to locals. Word of the discovery spread quickly on social media, prompting a surge of informal prospectors armed with pickaxes and sacks.
Security guard Princess Thoko Mlangeni, 33, said the diggers arrived rapidly. “They spread like a virus," she toldAFP, recalling the first day people began gathering at the site.
The rush comes as global gold prices have surged past $5,000 an ounce, more than doubling since the start of the year.
South Africa continues to face high unemployment of around 32%, according to official data, a factor residents say has driven many to try their luck at the site.
Mlangeni said she also searched for gold but found only a small fragment. “I only found a tiny little bit," she said.
Forty-seven-year-old Siyabonga Sidontsa said he had been transporting sacks of soil daily. “I came on Tuesday. I live a 30-minute walk away, and I take the sacks back with that," he said, pointing to a wheelbarrow while speaking to the news agency.
He added that after processing multiple sacks over several days, “I got very little but I can buy food with that," the news agency reported.
Some groups have been working on a larger scale, loading soil into small trucks, while others continue digging by hand.
Sidontsa said authorities should consider formalising operations. “They should open a proper mine here so that we can work," he said.
Source: World News in news18.com, World Latest News, World News
