S. African 'diamond rush' unearths only quartz crystals

JOHANNESBURG • Unidentified stones that lured thousands of fortune seekers to a rural South African village to mine the land with picks and shovels were not diamonds as hoped, officials said, but quartz crystals with relatively low, if any, value.

People from across South Africa have travelled to KwaHlathi in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province, where villagers had been digging since June 12 after a herder discovered the first stone in an open field and put out the word.

Provincial executive council member for economic development and tourism Ravi Pillay told a media briefing on Sunday he had counted some 3,000 stones during a site visit, and samples had been taken to identify the stones.

"The tests conducted conclusively revealed that the stones discovered in the area are not diamonds as some had hoped," he said, adding that they were in fact quartz crystals.

"The value, if any, of the quartz crystals is yet to be established but it must be mentioned that the value of quartz crystals is very low compared to that of diamonds."

The event had highlighted the socio-economic challenges faced by local people, he continued. Like many areas in South Africa, high levels of unemployment and poverty have left communities living from hand to mouth.

People in the area also raised concerns specifically around roads and water during the visit, which officials at the briefing said they would address.

Meanwhile, the number of people mining the land had dwindled to fewer than 500, Mr Pillay said, though significant damage had already been done, with an area of around 50ha covered in holes of up to one metre and posing a danger to cattle.

REUTERS