The atmosphere of a gold rush has resurfaced in South Africa after rumors spread about the discovery of gold flakes in a slum east of Johannesburg, triggering a flood of people into the area hoping to find gold that could change their lives.
The origin of the story comes from residents in a poor neighborhood of Springs, a former gold mining town, who claimed to have found small gold nuggets while digging soil in an open-air cattle pen. After the news spread, a gold rush wave began with people armed with hoes, mattocks, and shovels rushing to seize the fenced livestock pen area, digging through dust to search for gold.
The scene evokes memories of the gold rush era that once brought wealth to the country's financial capital a century ago. The gold mines in Springs closed years ago due to the depth of the shafts making costs too high. Today, the area around the town is filled with slums inhabited by many migrant workers from neighboring countries.
However, South Africa's Ministry of Mineral Resources issued a statement condemning the digging in the Gugulethu community of Springs as illegal mining and warned of environmental damage, including the risk of landslides from uncontrolled excavation.
One of the gold diggers told reporters that he really found gold and sold it on the black market. Gold is worth about 100 U.S. dollars per gram, while the country's monthly minimum wage is around 368 dollars. This gap further motivates many people to take the risk.
During the BBC reporter's visit, some parts of the ground had begun to subside. Meanwhile, several children arrived after school, changing out of their uniforms to help their parents dig for gold despite official warnings that uncontrolled digging could destabilize the ground and pose risks of injury or death, especially to children.
In South Africa, illegal mining happens frequently, and many workers have died due to unsafe working conditions over recent years. President Cyril Ramaphosa recently announced that the military would be deployed to support police in cracking down on criminal gangs and illegal mining across the country.
, source:BBC
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