The Golddiggers cover art

The Golddiggers

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £9.99

Buy Now for £9.99

About this listen

It’s 2008 and the height of Zimbabwe’s economic demise. A group of passengers is huddled in a Toyota Quantum about to embark on a treacherous expedition to the City of Gold. Amongst them is Gugulethu, who is hoping to be reconciled with her mother; Dumisani, an ambitious young man who believes he will strike it rich, Chamunorwa and Chenai, twins running from their troubled past; and Portia and Nkosi, a mother and son desperate to be reunited with a husband and father they see once a year.

They have paid a high price for the dangerous passage to what they believe is a better life; an escape from the vicious vagaries of their present life in Bulawayo. In their minds, the streets of Johannesburg are paved with gold but they will have to dig deep to get close to any gold, dirtying themselves in the process.

Told with brave honesty and bold description, the stories of the individual immigrants are simultaneously heart-breaking and heart-warming.

 Africa Heartfelt Feel-Good
All stars
Most relevant
Could not find the words to describe how well-written and brilliant this book was! Definitely one of those books you will pick up, and not put down! The character development, the intertwined fates, just... EVERYTHING was on par!

Best read so far!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This was my first ever novel by an African author. Sue Nyathi is a truly gifted author. The stories of the different characters were emotionally charged. I wasn't prepared for Child Sex Slavery, murder, domestic abuse and incest. While Sue Nyathi does share the characters' emotional state, she leaves that to the reader to infer their own decision. She sits back and reports on how the characters are fairing with an emotional detachment that can be likened to a news bulletin. She is clinical. She leaves the reader to decide who is good and who is bad. At the heart of her story is the story of resilliance in the face of tremendous odds. While these stories may look like a collection of fiction it needs to be understood that there is a group of people from Zimbabwe who experience this kind of perilous illegal immigration for safety from the ZanuPF Government of Emerson Mnangagwa. Without getting political Sue Nyathi explains to the reader the breakdown of the family unit, dehumanisation and desperation that economic mismanagement and corruption has wrought on the people of the country that was once known as the breadbasket of Africa. The narrator's poor pronouciation of some of the Shona Ndebele and Sotho words marred the enjoyment of the rich tapestry the author had gifted us. This story is Emotionally charged and is not for the faint hearted.

Left me Emotionally Raw

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved the book, the narrator mispronounced most Ndebele/ Shona words and phrases which kinda spoilt it

Loved it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I enjoyed this book and the sadistic twists in it. I was hoping for at least one happy ending.

Good listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is a very good book. However, the butchering of vernacular and characters names takes a lot away from the story. I suppose it’s okay if you don’t speak or understand he language. I don’t understand why these productions don’t use native speakers. Or at best, have a native speaker teach the narrator how to pronounce the words. It’s irritating. I had to skip parts of the audio because l just couldn’t stand the massacre.

Otherwise, well done Sue. You’ve done a great job painting the stories of displaced Zimbabweans. You did a great job researching places and events. Keep up the good work.

Could have been so much better

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.