A new gold rush has begun...

...as thousands of South Africans have descended on the tiny village of KwaMachi in the far-south of KwaZulu-Natal hoping that the gold that has been discovered there will change their lives for the better

News24 reports that thousands of men and women, old and young, including school children from the village and surrounding villages, were busy digging for the precious metal with axes, pickaxes, shovels and chisels.

Umuziwabantu Mayor Dixie Nciki told News24 on Tuesday that about 5 000 people had gathered at the site on Monday night.