In the township of Springs, Gauteng, a new “gold fever” has taken hold, driven not by greed but by the quest for survival. Following rumours of a discovery during a routine fence-post excavation, hundreds of residents have descended upon open fields with pickaxes and shovels. This frantic search for wealth mirrors a 2021 incident in KwaZulu-Natal, where thousands flocked to dig for what they believed were diamonds, only for authorities to reveal that the stones were low-value quartz crystals. These recurring “rushes” serve as a stark indictment of South Africa’s socio-economic climate. With a national unemployment rate hovering near 32%, desperation has made many vulnerable to such rumours.