Chipinge’s gold rush a hoax

Hundreds of gold panners across the country have invaded different parts of Chipinge in search of gold deposits that were reportedly discovered in the district last week.

The gold deposits were reportedly discovered in Ngaone and Tamandai areas.

Gold buyers are also thronging the area to buy the precious mineral.

However, which some panners have been searching for gold along Tamandai River for years, the recent audio clip that went viral on social media announcing a gold rush has turned out to be a hoax.

The Manica Post Business visited Tamandai area near Mozambique early this week and it was a hive of activity as people toiled along the Tamandai River banks in search of gold.

The gold rush has seen security forces intervening to maintain peace in the area.

Samson Moyana of Ratelshoek in Chipinge said he has been earning a living through panning gold along the river banks of Tamandai for some time now.

“The job is not easy at all. You can go for weeks without getting even a gram of the gold. Many people have stopped panning due to that,’’ he said.

Chipinge Rural District Council’s Councilor Brighton Nyanisi said gold panning is rampant in the area.

“Illegal gold panning is going on along Tamandai River, several people are doing it in this area,” he said

The Rural District Council’s Ward 2 Councilor Agrippa Mayanga said the audio clip was a hoax as there are no gold deposits in the Ngaone-Toti area.

“The audio clip attracted gold panners from as far as Mberengwa, Shurugwi, South Africa and Mozambique.

“It also attracted lots of buyers but from my investigations, there are no gold deposits in this area,” said Councilor Mayanga. Manica Post