Villagers stumble on diamonds in South Africa

A community near Ladysmith in Kwa-Zulu Natal is jubilant after discovering a field full of the precious stones.

Hundreds of community members have flocked to the area, carrying mining tools and buckets in search of riches. A viral video of a man calling his family telling them to burn all the old furniture, with a handful of precious stones has left many in stitches. In the video, he tells a family member that it’s their turn to eat in Dubai.

The KZN government has also weighed in on the diamond rush, saying it has noted with concern the ‘illegal’ mining taking place in KwaHlathi outside Ladysmith.

KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala said the Department of Minerals and Energy has promised to dispatch teams to the area where hundreds of people have gathered in the belief they have found diamonds.

Zikalala said a team from the Council for Mineral Technology and the Council for Geoscience would include a geologist and would focus on establishing what items exactly had been discovered at KwaHlathi.

Social media users have expressed concern over the government’s involvement saying the diamonds belong to the struggling community.

“Once there’s a DIAMOND RUSH, all hell will break loose. The whole world will descend on that area. The area will be turned into one big crime scene.” – KayaFM