Tanzania Small-scale miner discovers Tanzanite worth $3.34 Million

By Our Correspondent, MANYARA Tanzania

A 51-year-old Tanzanian Maasai tribesman has discovered two large Tanzanite gemstones with a total weight of about 14 kilograms, authorities said on Wednesday.

The country's Minister of Minerals, Dotto Biteko, collected the gemstones from the small-scale miner, Saniniu Laizer, and handed him a cheque of 7.74 billion Tanzanian shillings (about 3.34 million U.S. dollars) on behalf of the government at a ceremony in Manyara region.

Biteko said President John Magufuli directed that the government should buy the two gemstones and place them in the National Museum in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam where tourists can admire them.

“A dream of our President of making the mineral sector beneficial to Tanzanians is to a large extent being realised, we commend him for that,” he asserted.  

He applauded small-scale miners for never giving up despite the past disappointments that they could do nothing unless big investors stepped in.

“We have come far, a lot was said to disappoint small-scale miners especially those based in Mererani,” noted Biteko.

Without mentioning the date on which the small-scale miner discovered the two gemstones, the Minister thanked the miner for agreeing to sell the gemstones to the government.

“Yes, we need foreigners to come and assist us because Tanzania is not an island. Yes, we need foreigners to come because we are in need of capital from them. Yes, we need foreigners because they have more advanced technology than us, but we don’t have to accept being taken down.”

In September 2017, President Magufuli ordered the army to construct a wall around the Tanzanite mining area in the north of the country as part of the government’s effort to protect the precious gemstone from being smuggled out of the mining site. - Africa