The local government has ordered people to leave the site to make way for the investigation as fears have grown that the hundreds of mostly maskless diggers could spread the coronavirus amid a third wave of the pandemic hitting the country.īy late Tuesday, however, their requests had gone unheeded, and police cars were monitoring the area to keep the crowds in check. "These are not diamonds, people here are just wasting their time," said 18-year-old Bhekumuzi Luvuno, skeptically inspecting one of the stones he unearthed overnight. We have very ancient geology sticking out of the ground there as well so it is not impossible.” “But, I don't want to rule out that these might be diamonds because where the Tugela River is following a major fault zone. “You can get beautiful extensive deposits of quartz crystals - so there is a possibility that these might be quartz crystals,” geologist Dr Gideon Groenewald told CapeTalk radio. Videos circulating online showed dozens of people shouting in celebration after the first find.īut experts say the stones are unlikely to be valuable. The news quickly spread on social media, causing the crowds to grow despite a lack of analysis on the transparent stones. The hunt began after word spread on social media that a herder had found a stone that looked like a diamond.
But it did cast a stark light on the desperate socio-economic circumstances of. But this could change everything," said Precious, 38, who had spent the night digging with her teenage son and baby daughter. The KwaHlathi 'diamond rush' may not have brought the riches hoped for when the stones turned out to be quartz crystals. South Africa's unemployment rate rose to 32.5 per cent last year, a new record as the country's economy was battered by a fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus. The rush comes amid a sharp rise in unemployment in KwaZulu-Natal, one of the poorest regions of South Africa, where already bleak economic prospects have been worsened by the coronavirus pandemic. A woman holds what she believes to be a diamond after the discovery of unidentified stones at KwaHlathi village near Ladysmith on 17 June 2021 in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Others are expressing that it is shining a glaring light on the tragedy of poverty in our country, as it may be far less of a treasure and far more of a lifeline if the diamonds are real.Watch: 'Diamond rush' grips South African village after discovery of 'life-changing' stonesĪuthorities are now trying to clear the site of over 1,000 people with picks and shovels so that they can survey the new siteĭespite a lack of scientific analysis of the crystal-like rocks, first discovered over the weekend, over 1,000 people wearing bucket hats and boots have been searching the area nearly 200 miles southeast of Johannesburg in the hope of striking gold. Some are calling it exciting, a treasure hunt for fortune seekers. The thrill of the rush has seen people glittery eyed with the possibility of the jewels, however, this informal mining activity is deemed illegal by the KZN government. The department’s interest in the investigation was largely peaked after numerous visuals (via pictures and videos) started flooding social media with the ‘diamond’ discovery.Īccording to IOL, the “diamond rush” began after a cattle herder, who was digging in a field apparently came across the treasures. More than 1,000 fortune seekers flock to the village of KwaHlathi in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province in search of what they believed to be diamonds aft. But it did cast a stark light on the desperate socio-economic circumstances of the prospectors.
“The DMRE is dispatching a task team comprising geological and mining experts to the area to determine the veracity of the stories and to conduct a proper inspection of the site, and of what has been discovered in the area,” as per News24. It is very difficult for a layman to distinguish between a diamond and a quartz crystal and both of them are shining, The big thing is diamonds cut much better than quartz. The KwaHlathi 'diamond rush' may not have brought the riches hoped for when the stones turned out to be quartz crystals.
In a statement, the department expressed that:
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