Diamond is believed to have been discovered in KwaHlathi in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province. This is after a herd man dug up the first stone on an open field, believed to be quartz crystals.
The mines department said it was sending a team comprising of geological and mining experts to the site to collect samples and conduct an analysis. However, the lack of an analysis of the stones has not deterred fortune seekers from setting foot at the site.
Fortune seekers
More than 1,000 fortune seekers have joined villagers who have been digging at the site since to find riches. Some people have already started selling the stones, with a starting price of US $7.29. South Africa’s economy has long suffered from extremely high levels of unemployment, trapping millions in poverty and contributing to stark inequalities that persist nearly three decades after the end of apartheid in 1994.
“This means our lives will change because no one had a proper job, I do odd jobs. When I returned home with the stones my family got really overjoyed,” said one digger Mendo Sabelo as he held a handful of tiny stones
The provincial government has since requested all those involved to leave the site to allow authorities to conduct a proper inspection, amid fears the people digging at the site could potentially be spreading the coronavirus.
