Informal South African Settlement Sees Gold Rush After Discovery
Residents of a poor neighborhood in the former mining town of Springs say a local found several nuggets while digging in an outdoor pen previously used for cattle.
Since then, dozens of people have flocked to the area, digging through the soil where the cows were kept in hopes of striking it rich. Armed with shovels and pickaxes, they are sifting through the earth in scenes reminiscent of the historic gold rush that helped build Johannesburg over a century ago.
Springs was once a thriving gold town, but mining operations were shuttered several years ago due to the extreme depth of the shafts, which made extraction uneconomical. The town is now surrounded by informal settlements, many inhabited by migrants from neighboring countries.
South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources condemned the recent activity in Springs’ informal settlement of Gugulethu, labeling it illegal and warning of environmental damage. Some diggers have claimed they managed to find gold and sell it on the black market.
The extraction process reportedly involves dangerous chemicals, including mercury and sodium cyanide, used to separate gold from ore.
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