People rush to mine diamonds in South African village, authorities say they are quartz

Unidentified stones that lured thousands of people to a South African village in KwaZulu-Natal province were not diamonds, local authorities have said, adding that they were quartz stones with relatively low value.

On June 12, a cattle herder in South Africa found shining stones while grazing his cattle in the KwaHlathi village of KwaZulu-Natal province. Believing them to be diamonds, the herder soon put out the word. Within a week, thousands of people flocked to the hillside village with picks and shovels to dig the area to make a fortune for themselves. Unidentified stones that lured thousands of diamond hunters to a rural South African village were, in fact, not diamonds https://t.co/CsRXkQE3Ia pic.twitter.com/izp3aZSghy However, a local government report has now said the shining stones were actually quartz and not diamonds. Ravi Pillay, the provincial executive council member for economic development and tourism, told a media briefing on Sunday said the stones are actually quartz crystals, which are far less valuable.