Gold rush fever grips township outside South African city of Springs

Dozens of fortune-seekers have flocked to an informal settlement in Springs, some 50 kilometres east of Johannesburg in South Africa, scouring the dirt for gold.

It all started about a week ago when a man digging a fence post at this cattle kraal outside of the city claimed to have found gold.

The news spread like wildfire on social media and within days the field was crowded with many hopeful prospectors digging holes in the ground.

"They spread like a virus," security guard Princess Thoko Mlangeni said speaking outside her tin‑shack home overlooking the field, recalling how they first appeared on February 8.

With unemployment hovering at around 32 per cent, even improbable rumours of “easy money” have been enough to trigger a gold-rush mentality.

And Springs was a major gold mining town until the late 1960s.

With gold prices surging past $5,000 an ounce, the hope of finding even a small amount of the precious metal outweighs the illegality of the diggers actions.

The provincial spokesperson has warned that their prospecting is damaging the environment even as the authorities still have to verify claims that gold exists at the site.

As the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources urged the diggers to apply for lawful permits at least one mining expert has warned that the excitement may be misplaced

Long-renowned for its mineral wealth, South Africa, saw a similar frenzy in 2021.

Crystal‑like stones found in KwaZulu-Natal province sparked a diamond rush, only for experts to confirm they were merely quartz.