A Tanzanian miner made another discovery of one of the rarest gemstones on Earth, possibly earning the small-scale miner millions of dollars — again.
Saniniu Laizer, 52, recently discovered the rare, dark violet-blue tanzanite gem, weighing 14 pounds. Tanzanite is only found in northern Tanzania and is valued based on its rarity, color and clarity.
The gem is valued at 4.7 billion Tanzanian shillings, or $2 million, the BBC reported, and is among the dwindling number of Tanzanite left in the world.
Laizer, who has 30 children, told the BBC on Monday that he plans to use the money build a school and a health facility in his Simanjiro district community in the northern Manyara region.
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He also said his earnings would not change his lifestyle, and plans to continue caring for his 2,000 cows.
Laizer became a millionaire in June when he found the two largest tanzanite stones ever unearthed in the country. The gemstones were also discovered in Manyara, surrounded by a government perimeter meant to control cross-border smuggling of precious gemstones, The Standard reported. Background: Small-scale miner finds largest tanzanite gems in Tanzania’s history, becomes millionaire
Tanzanian President John Magufuli congratulated Laizer on live television following his initial findings and the government paid Laizer 7.74 billion Tanzanian shillings, or $3.35 million. The pair of violet-blue gemstones weighed 20.43 pounds and 11.26 pounds, according to the Ministry of Minerals.
The government set up trading centers around the country for small-scale miners, who often mine by hand, to sell their gems and gold to the government, Reuters reported.
“Selling to the government means there are no shortcuts… they are transparent,” Laizer said at a ceremony in the northern Mirerani mine, according to the BBC. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Miner discovers third rare gem valued at $2 million
shida ya kenya iko hapa, government owns all the rights, can take it from you and show you middle finger
6.
Ownership of minerals
(1)
Every mineral—
(a)
in its natural state in, under or upon land in Kenya;
(b)
in or under a lake, river, stream, or water courses in Kenya;
(c)
in the exclusive economic zone and an area covered by the territorial sea or continental shelf,
is the property of the Republic and is vested in the national government in trust for the people of Kenya.
It could be that , or the vein is endlessly long in the ground… mahali anachimba… kazi ni kuvunja kipande 1 foot long, every month and go claim your milllions… If you announce it all at once bei itaharibika…
Magufuli anatuchezea akili au anachezewa akilini, Kwanza TZ iko corona free, alafu middle income earners, sasa mwananchi aliechimba akafaulu amefaulu tena, hahaa
Rumor has it, he holds the licence and ownership of the pit (shimo) and the peasants who work in it found 3 large stones, gave him two (the ones he sold earlier) kept 1 and tried to sell it by themselves but the whole area is walled and well guarded by government officials, couldn’t smuggle it out of the mine area then decided to just rightfully give it to Mr Laizer
This man is rich already. Do you think he stumbled upon the rock while herding his cattle? Running a mine is a not peasants craft. Look him up on YouTube and see his farm and homestead.
That miner’s luck seems unbeatable! Discovering the largest Tanzanite gems not once, but thrice? Talk about striking gold! Reminds me of when I stumbled upon a guide on rock polishing techniques (https://rockstumbling.com/rock-polishing-techniques). While my finds were nowhere near as impressive, the thrill of uncovering hidden beauty resonates.