MORE than 1,000 fortune seekers have flocked to the village of KwaHlathi, in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, in search of what they believed to be diamonds following the discovery of unidentified stones in the area.
The crowd travelled from across South Africa to join villagers who have been digging since Saturday, after a herd man who dug up the first stone on an open field — which some believe to be quartz crystals — put out the word.
Pictures and videos were shared to social media of people celebrating their findings.
The discovery was a “life changer”, said one digger, Mendo Sabelo, as he held a handful of tiny stones.
“This means our lives will change because no-one had a proper job, I do odd jobs. When I returned home with them, [the family was] really overjoyed,” said the 27-year-old father of two.
Unemployed Skhumbuzo Mbhele agreed, adding: “I hadn’t seen or touched a
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