Hundreds of spectators received a taste of the gold rush era during the annual Gold Panning Championships in Pilgrim’s Rest this weekend.

This year’s activities kicked off with a street parade and opening ceremony last Wednesday at Uptown, which was, as usual, a popular event that drew scores of people. Activities included song and dance and performances by the Can Can Girls and gumboot dancers. Thursday saw hundreds of panners taking to the panning dams to fight for supremacy and a chance to earn national colours.

Also read: Local takes reins at World Gold Panning Association

Other activities included the traditional wheelbarrow race, pub crawl and a soccer tournament. Gold panning is a sport steeped in history and tradition. “The National Gold Panning Championships are one of the biggest events in Mpumalanga and play a huge role in the economic growth of Pilgrim’s Rest, as well as bringing people together,” said the spokesman for culture, sports and recreation, Sibongile Nkosi.

Panners during the tournament received a pan and a bucket of sand in which a number of gold nuggets were hidden. The winners, who managed to retrieve the most nuggets in the shortest amount of time, battled it out in the finals on Saturday (October 19).

Also read: Cricket siblings own the wicket

Here are the winners in the respective categories (from Mpumalanga unless otherwise stated) Pikkies (under six years of age) Bokang Monareng Children (under 10 years of age) Angel Maphanga Juniors (under 16 years of age) Henko de Nysschen Beginners men Johan van der Westhuizen Beginners ladies Siphwe Ndlovu Proficient men Surprise Mdluli Proficient ladies Sonet Vermaak Veterans (over 60 years of age) Frik Liebenberg Traditional pan Essie Mogane Batea pan Joseph Mashaka Two-person team The Entertainers Five-person team Coen Under Pressure Provincial teams 1st – Mpumalanga 2nd – Gauteng 3rd – Limpopo Funny couples Chicks with Kicks Jokers Coen Vermaak.