Sparkling stones ‘are not diamonds’
The sparkling stones which sparked a diamond digging frenzy in KwaHlathi, KwaZulu-Natal, are, sadly for the wannabe billionaire diggers – just quartz crystals.
The department of mineral resources and energy (DMRE) and MECs from the province yesterday released results on the analysis of the stones collected in KwaHlathi near Ladysmith, where a number of people had been digging for what they believed to be diamonds.
According to KwaZulu-Natal MEC for economic development, tourism and environmental affairs Ravi Pillay, after a preliminary analysis the technical team found the stones were actually quartz crystals.
“The tests conclusively reveals that the stones discovered in the area are not diamonds, as some had hoped,” he said.
This after scores of residents in the town, and some from across the province, joined the residents in what was called a “diamond rush” and believed they had struck gold after discovering diamonds.
Early last week, a government delegation, which comprised Pillay, the mayor of the Alfred Duma Local Municipality, Vincent Madlala, officials from the DMRE, traditional leadership, and the police visited the site.
A team of experts from the DMRE also visited the site and brought their equipment to analyse and test whether diamonds were indeed discovered, or if they stumbled upon a heap of raw quartz.
Pillay said the tests conducted revealed that the stones were not diamonds as they had hoped and that quartz crystals were commonly associated with the Karoo supergroup.