The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) is aware of stories in the media including images and videos that are circulating on social media about the purported discovery of diamonds in Kwa ...

utside Ladysmith, Kwa-Zulu Natal.  The DMRE is dispatching a task team comprising of geological and mining experts to the area to determine the veracity of the stories and to conduct a proper inspection of the site, and of what has been discovered in the area. 

The teams will be on site from Tuesday, 15 June 2021, and include the Department’s Enforcement and Compliance unit to conduct an inspection of the site, experts from Mintek (the Council for Mineral Technology) and the Council for Geoscience who can opine on matters of the mineral composition of rocks, and can provide an analysis of an areas potential for mineral resources respectively. The team also includes the South African Diamond & Precious Metals Regulator as the custodian of all matters related to precious minerals in the country.

The teams are en-route to the site to collect samples and analysis will be conducted, and a formal technical report will be issued in due course. The Department is also working with relevant authorities and stakeholders, including the traditional communities, traditional leadership and the local and district municipalities to bring calm to the area and to ensure that the relevant information is communicated to affected communities in order to address the matter as speedily as possible.

The Department joins the Office of the Premier of Kwa-Zulu Natal in calling for calm and patience while the task team conducts it’s preliminary investigations. The DMRE also requests all those involved to stop their operations and leave the site to allow the DMRE to conduct a proper inspection without any hindrances.

Issued by the Department Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy

Enquiries: mediadesk@dmre.gov.za / mediadesk@energy.gov.za