SPRINGS, South Africa – A former cattle kraal on the eastern outskirts of Johannesburg has turned into a hive of activity after rumours of gold sent hundreds of unemployed residents digging in search of fortune.
The frenzy unfolded in the Gugulethu informal settlement in Springs, about 50 kilometres east of Johannesburg, when a man digging a fence post claimed to have discovered gold nuggets in the soil about a week ago. Those claims, first noticed after he saw an unusual shimmer in freshly turned earth, spread rapidly on social media.
Within days, scores of men and women armed with pickaxes, shovels and sacks descended on the fenced off field, tearing into the ground in the hope of striking it rich. Some residents overlooking the site said the crowds swelled almost overnight.
“They spread like a virus,” security guard Princess Thoko Mlangeni said outside her tin shack home overlooking the field, recalling how the diggers first appeared on February 8.
Springs was once a major gold mining town until the late 1960s, but deep level shafts became too costly to operate and the industry declined. Today, surrounding informal settlements are home to thousands of migrants and unemployed South Africans surviving on precarious work.
With unemployment hovering at around 32 per cent and gold prices surging past 5,000 dollars an ounce, even rumours of easy money have been enough to spark a rush. For many digging through the dark soil, the possibility of finding even a small fleck of the precious metal outweighs the risk of acting outside the law.
The City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality spokesperson Phakamile Mbengashe cautioned that the unlawful excavation is harming both the local environment and the broader national economy. He said authorities will only be able to determine the full extent of the damage after the area has been cleared and engineers have conducted assessments on site.
South Africa’s Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources has urged those involved to apply for lawful permits, while provincial officials warned that the environmental impact could be severe. Authorities have yet to verify whether gold exists at the site.
At least one mining expert has warned that the excitement may be misplaced. South Africa witnessed a similar episode in 2021 when crystal like stones discovered in KwaZulu Natal triggered a diamond rush, only for experts to confirm they were quartz.
For now, the scarred patch of earth in Springs stands as a symbol of both desperation and hope, as residents chase the promise of relief from grinding poverty.
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