On a mission to find man who first found the ‘diamond’

FIND the person who first found the so-called diamond was my assignment.

I thought it would be simple, as Kwahlathi, 70km away from Ladysmith, was a rural village and everyone would know each other.

Instead, I found that it was just as tedious trying to find the man as trying to find the “precious” stones that hundreds of people have been looking for the past two weeks.

Dwayne Maskutule, the herdsman who made the discovery last year but let the secret out to his friends recently, became a wanted man by the locals.

They assumed he was now a millionaire and based this assessment on the fact that he was no longer herding cattle.

On the contrary he had to go into hiding, fearing for his safety.

The locals believed he had the clues to where the “diamonds” could be mined.

My first stop was at the mining site where I asked the “miners” if they knew who he was and where he could be found.

They all knew him but nobody seemed to know where he was.

He did not have a cellphone, so there was no contact number I could call. After an hour or so, looking conspicuous by just standing there without a pick or a shovel, while the others had their backs bent, I met a man who told me where Maskutule’s employer lived. He said she would be able to assist me.

Grateful for the information, I then asked if he could show me the way to her house, which was several kilometres away from the mining activity.

He agreed and left me standing outside Maskutule’s employer’s gate where two dogs barked angrily at me, probably sensing my fear.

A young man assured me the dogs wouldn’t attack and opened the gate.

Maskutule’s employer, who was suspicious of me at first, relaxed when I pointed out the branded company car I was driving in. After some persuasion I eventually found out where Maskutule was seeking safety.

Finding him felt like finding a gem.