15kg gemstones earn small-scale miner Ksh362 million overnight

A small-scale miner in Tanzania has become an overnight millionaire after selling two rough Tanzanite stones – the biggest ever find in the country.

Saniniu Laizer earned $3.4m (Ksh362.3 million) from the
country’s mining ministry for the gemstones, which had a combined weight of
15kg (33 lb).

“There will be a big party tomorrow,” Mr Laizer, a
father of more than 30 children, told the BBC.

Tanzanite is only found in northern Tanzania and is used to
make ornaments.

It is one of the rarest gemstones on Earth, and one local
geologist estimates its supply may be entirely depleted within the next 20
years.

The precious stone’s appeal lies in its variety of hues, including
green, red, purple and blue.

Its value is determined by rarity – the finer the colour or
clarity, the higher the price.

Mr Laizer mined the stones, weighing 9.2kg and 5.8kg, last
week, but he sold them on Wednesday during a trading event in the northern
region of Manyara.

Until now the largest Tanzanite rock to be mined weighed
3.3kg.

President John Magufuli phoned in to congratulate Mr Laizer
on the find.

“This is the benefit of small-scale miners and this
proves that Tanzania is rich,” the president said.

Mr Magufuli came to power in 2015 promising to safeguard the
nation’s interest in the mining sector and increase the government’s revenue
from it.

Mr Laizer, 52, who has four wives, said he would slaughter
one of his cows to celebrate.

He also plans to invest in his community in Simanjiro
district in Manyara.

“I want to build a shopping mall and a school. I want
to build this school near my home. There are many poor people around here who
can’t afford to take their children to school.”

“I am not educated but I like things run in a
professional way. So I would like my children to run the business
professionally.”

He said the windfall would not change his lifestyle, and
that he planned to continue looking after his 2,000 cows. He said he did not
need to take any extra precautions despite his new-found riches.

“There is enough security [here]. There won’t be any
problem. I can even walk around at night without any problem.”

Some small-scale miners like Mr Laizer acquire government
licences to prospect for Tanzanite, but illegal mining is prevalent especially
near mines owned by big companies.

In 2017, President Magufuli ordered the military to build a
24km (14-mile) perimeter wall around the Merelani mining site in Manyara,
believed to be the world’s only source of Tanzanite.

A year later, the government reported an increase in revenue
in the mining sector and attributed the rise to the construction of the wall,
the BBC’s Sammy Awami in Dar es Salaam reports.