Now, it looks like a bare, cratered moon - a treacherous terrain of holes, many of them the size of graves. The diamond rush has completely transformed KwaHlathi, where the chief estimates that about 4,000 families reside.Ĭattle once grazed on the digging field, which sits on traditional land owned by the chief and was until recently covered with Sweet thorn trees and grass.

The diamond rush has completely transformed KwaHlathi, where the chief estimates that about 4,000 families reside.If they are real diamonds, it means we are winning.”

Molefe, 41, who conceded that he had no clue whether they were actually diamonds. Two days of strenuous digging had yielded four stones for Mr. No one who came seemed the least deterred by the widespread skepticism that the stones were really diamonds. The rumor that a herdsman had found clear stones resembling diamonds in the soil of a grassy, tree-filled slope last month lured thousands of South Africans to KwaHlathi, a sleepy village in the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal where cattle roam freely.Ĭoming by taxi and by car, many from hours away, they dreamed of a turn of luck in a nation whose persistent struggles with joblessness have reached new heights amid the pandemic. He took a few more vigorous whacks into the edges of the shallow crater he had dug at the bottom of a hillside, before scooping up a handful of loose dirt and shaking it in search of the sparkle of a gem. Some people have started selling the stones, with the starting price ranging from 100 rand ($7.29) to 300 rand.KWAHLATHI, South Africa - Sbusiso Molefe stretched the pickax high above his head and hacked into the clumpy black dirt around his feet. The unemployment rate in Africa’s most-industrialized nation rose to a record 32.6% in the first quarter. The race to find diamonds shows desperation among people struggling to find income in an economy severely hit by the pandemic. The PEOPLE SHALL SHARE IN THE COUNTRY’s WEALTH ✊🏽 /Uch1sa0BET- jjsesing June 13, 2021 Can our government NOT stick its sticks fingers in this operation. Our people have found diamonds in a village in KZN. “ Ngiyakuthanda yazi baby, uBaba seke winile ,” the man can be heard saying while the crowd in the background laughs. In one of the now-viral videos, an unidentified man can be heard speaking in isiZulu and jokingly telling his partner, over the phone, to burn everything at home because he had won big. “We are worried that if not brought under control, the situation could result in chaos and a possible stampede,” he said. KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikalala expressed concern about the crowd gathering in the area, saying illegal mining activities could violate covid-19 regulations. Video : supplied #DiamondRush /zy1oyIhPQz- KZN Provincial Gov June 13, 2021

The KwaZulu-Natal provincial government has noted with concern, the reports of illegal mining activity taking place at KwaHlathi outside Ladysmith KZN PREMIER CALLS FOR ORDER AMID REPORTS OF A “DIAMOND RUSH” IN KWAHLATHI NEAR LADYSMITH The KwaZulu-Natal provincial government, where the alleged diamond field is located, took to Twitter to express its concern on the unprecedented “diamond rush”: It noted it was sending a team comprising of geological and mining experts to the site to collect samples and conduct an analysis. The country’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy ordered people on Tuesday to halt the search as thousands continue to travelled from across South Africa to join villagers who have been digging in the area since Saturday.

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