Diggers Discover “Diamonds” in SA Village

Flocks of fortune-seekers have gathered at a village in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province in search of diamonds.

Since Saturday, 12 June, over 1 000 people from neighbouring areas and from across the country have travelled to KwaHlathi – which is located outside Ladysmith – after unidentified stones, believed to be diamonds, were discovered in an open field by a herdsman.

One such individual, a 27-year-old father named Mendo Sabelo, spoke to a media outlet about this life-changing event.

He said: “This means [my family members’] lives will change because no one had a proper job – I do odd jobs. When I returned home with [the stones], they were really overjoyed.”

Indeed, many of the diggers who may be seeking to improve their livelihoods have taken to flogging the supposed diamonds for between R100 and R300.

To authenticate these stones, the Department of Mineral Resources says that it is sending a team of geological and mining experts to the site to collect samples and conduct an analysis.

The provincial government is thus calling on diggers to vacate the site so that the investigation can be carried out, and to prevent the possible spread of coronavirus.

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