Uninformed observers watching the scene from afar – in the dark of night – would be forgiven for thinking the scrubland of KwaHlathi, in the Ladysmith area of KwaZulu-Natal , had been subjected to an invasion of giant fireflies.
But the reality is that the “diamond rush” is likely to end with the same disappointment that the 2018 “gold rush” on the south coast of the province did. Geologists have said that given the age of the terrain and the look of the stones, they are highly likely to be quartz crystals. In the unlikely event that some of the stones are diamonds, they will have to be mined and sold according to South Africa’s strict Diamonds Act.
Ladysmith resident Mdu Maphumulo – his facemask pulled below his chin and a khaki hat shielding his head from the hot winter sun – held up a clear stone for DM168 to inspect. “We are here digging for diamonds. It looks real,” he said, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger. The contagious hope of the mostly KwaHlathi residents looking for life-altering gemstones is understandable, given the years they have had to live under a dysfunctional authority in a poor, violent and underdeveloped area, and in a country with a soaring unemployment rate. KwaHlathi falls under the ANC-run Alfred Duma Local Municipality, borne out of the 2016 merger of the Indaka Local Municipality with its richer cousin, the Emnambithi/Ladysmith Local Municipality.
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