A dream of great wealth crashes on the rocks

Celani Sikhakhane

Four men with shiny stones in their pockets and dreams of great wealth in their hearts drove four hours to Johannesburg from Ladysmith, KZN. 

They had come to sell the dozens of stones they had found around the local Mbulwana Hill.

But their dreams of wealth and prosperity were dashed as trader after trader all confirmed the terrible truth: the shiny stones were no more than worthless rocks. Some even said the precious looking stones were just glass.

Thulani Kheswa said on Monday they went to seven places that trade diamonds.

“All of them told us the stones are not diamonds,” he said.

“We thought they were just jealous. We went to regular diamond trading companies, and we were turned away.”

Still hopeful, the men resorted to trying to shift the diamonds in the black market, but even those hardened sellers wouldn’t give the stones a second look.

“Even the Nigerians who deal with gold and diamonds told us the very same thing: that they don’t deal with this kind of stuff,” said Kheswa.

“My hopes are shattered, my brother.”

Ward Councillor, Sizwe Hlatshwayo was among those who were waiting for a call from the men who went to Gauteng.

“They told me these things are not diamonds because no one is willing to buy them,” Hlatshwayo said.

“I don’t want to be the one to tell those who are still digging. If I do that they might kill me. But I have accepted that these stones are not diamonds. We are now waiting for a geologist report to tell us what exactly they are.”

Speaking to Enca SA Diamond Producers Organisation, Gert van Niekerk said that the chance that the stones are diamonds is very slim. He said there is a greater possibility that they are in fact Crystal Quartz.

Geologists travelled to Mbulwana Hill in KwaHlathi yesterday to inspect the stones. 

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