South African "Diamond Rush" ends in Disappointment for 3,000
June 21, 21
(IDEX Online) - The stones that triggered a "diamond rush" last week in South Africa are nothing more than worthless quartz, say officials.
An estimated 3,000 fortune seekers converged on fields outside KwaHlathi, in KwaZulu-Natal province, armed with picks, shovels and forks after word spread on social media.
A team of geoscientists and mining experts confirmed yesterday that the stones were quartz - of "very low value" - rather than diamonds.
The cattle herder who found the first "diamond", identified as Dwayne Maskutule, 41, has reportedly now gone into hiding.
The most immediate concern now is for the safety of cattle, forced to dodge the holes dug by prospectors.
Screenshot from eNCA news broadcaster, South Africa