A patch of scarred earth on Johannesburg's eastern outskirts has become the focus of a new gold rush, drawing scores of hopeful diggers to the township of Springs.
Digging for gold at the Gugulethu informal settlement. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The Citizen
What was once a simple cattle kraal is now a hive of activity, as men and women sift through dark soil in search of flecks of fortune.
The rush began after a resident noticed an unusual shimmer in freshly turned soil while digging a fence post.
Within days, word had spread across social media, and the field filled with hundreds of people armed with pickaxes, shovels and sacks.
With unemployment hovering near 32 percent, many are driven by the urgent need to put food on the table.
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.
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