The 2024 National Gold Panning Championships will likely go down as the coldest in history! The South African Gold Panning Association held the event in Pilgrim’s Rest, Mpumalanga, from 21-23 September. They were supported by the Mpumalanga Department of Culture, Sports and Recreation as the main sponsor.
Street Parade and Opening Ceremony
This year the programme diverted from the usual as the day following the event was the 24th of September, a public holiday celebrating Heritage Day. The proceedings started with the colourful street parade on Saturday morning. Starting in Down Town, Pilgrim’s Rest, the parade ended at the dedicated gold panning site on the outskirts of town.
The symbolic “Wheelbarrow Patterson” headed the parade, flanked by drum majorettes. He was followed by the VIP’s, dance troupes who would be providing entertainment during the opening ceremony, and competitors.

Leah Mabuza, MEC of the Mpumalanga Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation, officially opened the championships. She emphasised that SAGPA’s goals and objectives, including its primary objective of maintaining the history of goldpanning, were in line with the mandate of her department.
“Gold was discovered in Mpumalanga in 1873 and the gold rush era is a rich part of the region’s history,” Mabuza explained. “As a result, panning for gold is an activity steeped in time and still enjoyed today by the people of the region and many tourists that visit this area”.
The 2024 Gold Panning Championships
The contests started directly after the opening ceremony. The first event was the category for differently abled competitors. During the rest of the afternoon, and over the next two days. participants battled it out in heats, semi-finals and finals.

Over 250 competitors and their supporters braved the freeze gripping a large part of South Africa. It was the coldest weather of the year with record snowfalls in high lying areas. Shorts and t-shirts are the usual dress for the annual national goldpanning championships in September. This year all were bundled up in layers of clothing and blankets.
However, once in the panning dams, competitors found that it wasn’t as cold as anticipated. This was most likely due to the adrenaline rush!

Competitors from Finland were the only ones not fazed by the cold. “This is our usual weather”, they explained. Fortunately the sun came out on the final day of the championships and they could enjoy a slice of sunny South Africa before heading home the following day.
The 2024 National Gold Panning Champions
The star of this year’s championships was Sanjay Singh, a long-time SAGPA member and President of the World Gold Panning Association since 2018. Sanjay won gold in the proficient men’s category and in three team events, and bronze in the traditional batea pan category.
Official Category Gold Medallists

- Provincial Team Competition – Mpumalanga
- Proficient Men – Sanjay Singh
- Proficient Women – Bea van Biljon
- Traditional Batea – Sendra Nsimba
- Juniors – Kris Steynberg
- Veterans (60 and over) – Andrew Mason
- Children (12 and under) – Kgopotso Chaoke
Individual Unofficial Category Gold Medallists
- Beginner Men – Chris Pio
- Beginner Women – Duminy Rossouw
- Masters (70 and over) – Hanlie Kuhn
- Pikkies (5 and under) – Elarah Traill
- Jokers – Coen Vermaak
Follow this link for the gallery of images to see more of the fun, excitement and champions of the 2024 National Gold Panning Championships.