Anselim Kawishe, a small-scale miner from Tanzania, found over 5.2kg of Tanzanite, one of the world’s rarest gemstones found only in a four-mile strip of Tanzania. This, according to IDEX Online, has made Kawishe “an overnight millionaire.”
Kawishe, who has been mining the area for 15 years, found two stones with a combined 5.2kg weight. “I did not expect that there will be a day when I will be standing here carrying such a big Tanzanite gem,” he told the African Mining Market. An official from the Ministry of Minerals said the stones were worth $1 million.
According to the report, in June 2020, Saniniu Laizer, a 52 year-old farmer and part-time miner, sold two Tanzanite slabs weighing 14kg for $3.4 million.
