A "diamond rush" in South Africa turned out to be fool's gold.
Geologists identified stones found in the area to be quartz. News of a diamond discovery lured thousands to a village hoping to strike it rich.
Fortune seekers flocked to a village in Kwa Zulu Natal with picks and shovels. The diamond rush began this past week after a herder discovered a semi-transparent rock - which he believed to be a diamond.
Ravi Pillay, an official with South Africa's economic development and tourism department, said more than 3,000 people have visited the village since then. People have been digging holes and building makeshift mines.
Pillay said they had taken many soil samples - including samples of the stones. He said they found no evidence of diamonds and the stones were quartz crystals.
"The tests conducted conclusively revealed the stones...are not diamonds as some had hoped. The value, if any, of the quartz crystals hasn't been estimated but it must be mentioned that the value of quartz crystals is very low compared with that of diamonds," Pillay said.
Pillay said the influx of people in the area had only served to highlight the challenges faced by most South Africans. He said many residents were living hand to mouth as the region's unemployment and poverty levels had worsened as a result of the Covid pandemic.
After the agency released its findings many people left. Pillay said there were fewer than 500 mining Monday.
Because of the mining over the past few days about five hectares of land had been damaged. Pillay said the area was now covered in holes up to 1 meters. These were a danger to people and livestock, he said.
