Gold fever hits South Africa after lucky find in cattle pen

A gold rush has gripped an informal settlement east of the South African city of Johannesburg, after reports spread a few days ago about the discovery of some gold particles.

A resident in a poor neighbourhood of the former mining town of Springs claimed to have found several nuggets while digging at an outdoor enclosure used for cattle.

Dozens of people have now descended on the area and have been digging up the fenced area where the cows were once penned in, hoping to strike it rich.

Armed with pickaxes and shovels, they have been sifting through the soil in scenes reminiscent of the gold rush that helped build South Africa’s financial capital more than a century ago.

Springs was once a booming gold town, but its mines were closed several years ago because the extreme depth of the shafts made operations uneconomical.

The town is now surrounded by informal settlements many of whose residents are migrants from neighbouring countries.

South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources has condemned this week’s mining activity in Spring’s informal settlement of Gugulethu, calling it illegal and warning that it is damaging the environment.

Some of those digging at the site have told the BBC that they have been able to find gold and have sold it on the black market.

Dangerous chemicals like mercury and sodium cyanide are used to separate the gold from the ore.

“We know this is illegal. We want the government to give us mining permits so we can work and pay tax,” one man, who did not want to be named, told the BBC.

He explained that as a father of two children he needed to earn money to put them through school and put food on the table.

Another man told the BBC: “This is the only hustle we know. It has saved many of us from being arrested for committing serious and violent crimes.”

A gram of gold is worth about $100 (£74).

By contrast, the monthly minimum wage in South Africa is $368 (£270).

Many of those busy digging during the BBC’s visit said they originally hailed from the neighbouring Lesotho.

At around 14:00 local time after the end of the school day, children started arriving at the site.

They had gone home first to change out of their uniforms and then rushed to the cattle enclosure to help their parents dig for gold.

While visiting the site, the BBC found that some of the ground had become unstable.

“Unregulated excavation may result in ground instability, placing nearby communities and particularly children at significant risk of injury or loss of life,” the mining ministry warned in its statement on Tuesday.

So-called illegal mining is common in South Africa, and numerous people have died over the years while working in unsafe conditions.

Last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa said he would deploy the army to help the police fight criminal gangs and illegal mining in the country.

The authorities blame illegal miners, known as “zama zamas”, typically armed, undocumented foreign nationals, for their involvement in organised crime syndicates.

There is no official indication that this is at play in Springs.