It is all systems go for gold-panning champs
It is that time of the year again when gold-panning enthusiasts make their annual pilgrimage to Pilgrim's Rest for the national championships.
This year the panners will not only be fighting for national honours and bragging rights, but also for a chance to represent South Africa at the 2014 World Gold Panning Championships in Sweden.
The National Gold Panning Championship – which runs from September 26 to 29 – attracts hundreds of people from the length and breadth of the country, including participants from Limpopo, Gauteng and North West among others. All category winners will earn national colours.
Culture, sport and recreation spokesman, Sibongile Nkosi said, “It is fitting that the National Gold Panning Championships is held at a time when the country celebrates Heritage Month. Gold panning is a sport steeped in history and tradition and offers us a chance to promote social cohesion as the tournament attracts people from all racial backgrounds”.
The sport is easy to get into. Participants receive a pan and a bucket of sand in which a number of gold nuggets are hidden. The winners must retrieve the most nuggets in the shortest time.
The championship will start with an official opening ceremony by MEC
Sibongile Manana on Thursday September 26 where cancan girls, female panners and Matibidi St John Brass Band will entertain the participants and crowd alike. The following day, they will take to the panning dams.
Closing ceremony and final are scheduled for September 29.
