South Africa’s ‘Diamond’ Rush

1. Set Focus
Pose this essential question to guide discussion: How are people affected by bad economic conditions?

2. List Vocabulary
Share with students some of the challenging vocabulary words in this article. Encourage them to use context to infer meanings as they read.

• lured (p. 15)
• deterred (p. 15)
• conceded (p. 15)
• subsisted (p. 16)
• lucrative (p. 17)
• unearthed (p. 17)

3. Engage
Have students imagine that rumors were spreading that diamonds could easily be dug up in a field five hours away. Then poll students on whether they would travel to that field to try to dig up some of the diamonds. Have students share why they would or would not go to the field.

4. Read 
Have students read the article, marking the text to note key ideas or questions.

5. Discuss
Distribute or project Up Close: South Africa’s ‘Diamond’ Rush, a close-reading activity for students to work on in small groups. Follow up with a class discussion. If you’re short on time, have each group tackle one or two of the questions. Collect students’ work or have each group report its findings to the class.

• Why is the word diamond in quotation marks in the title? How does this help convey the author’s purpose in writing the article? (Author’s purpose, word meaning) (The word diamond is in quotation marks because it is very likely the stones the amateur miners are finding are quartz stones, not diamonds. The quotation marks communicate that the rush is not really for diamonds. In addition, putting diamond in quotation marks helps convey that the author wrote the article to explain why people think, or want to believe, that the stones are diamonds and how this false “diamond” rush is affecting South Africa.)

• Summarize the events that led to the diamond rush in KwaHlathi, South Africa. Include how the Covid-19 pandemic played a role. (Summarize, sequence of events) (A shepherd found clear stones in a field in the KwaHlathi area of South Africa. He hid the stones so that he could take them back to his family, but he also told another herdsman about what he had found. That other herdsman showed the stones to guests at a wedding. Very soon, people had flocked to the field to search for diamonds. The Covid-19 pandemic played a role in creating the rush because people had lost their jobs during the pandemic and were desperate for money and, therefore, more inclined to believe the rumors and travel long distances to act on them.)

• What was KwaHlathi like before the supposed diamond discovery? What is it like now? (Compare & contrast, cite text evidence) (Before the supposed discovery, KwaHlathi was a sleepy village of about 4,000 families surrounded by trees and grass for grazing. Now, the land has been torn up and thousands of amateur miners have set up camps in the area.)

• How have many miners reacted to the government’s pleas to stop digging? Why? (Cause & effect, cite text evidence) (Many miners have ignored the government’s pleas and even snicker at them. The miners are “jaded by a history of corruption and colonialism” that has benefited foreign companies and the wealthy over the needs of average and poor citizens. Many of those who have come to dig do not believe the government’s assessment that the stones are quartz and not diamonds. They also believe they have the right to do what they want on their ancestors’ land.) 

• At the end of the article, Tshepang Molefi says, “If you don’t go and check, you’ll only have your regrets.” What does she mean? Do you think that South Africans who are more economically secure share her point of view? Why or why not? (Make inferences, analyze point of view)(Molefi means that if you don’t go to the field to dig up the stones while there are still some to dig up—and take a chance that they are actually diamonds that can make you rich—you might miss out on the opportunity to cash in on a natural resource. Instead, you’ll have only your regrets that you didn’t take action when you could have. Ideas will vary about whether economically secure South Africans are likely to share her point of view, but responses should be supported with text evidence.) 

• What do the timeline and the numbers box on page 16 with percentages related to unemployment and poverty add to the article? (Integrate sources) (They develop ideas in the section “A History of Inequity” by elaborating on the effects of apartheid. They also help explain why some want to believe the stones are diamonds.)

6. Writing Prompt
Research the history of diamond mining in South Africa. Then write one paragraph explaining whether you think that history has a role in the current rush to find diamonds in KwaHlathi.

7. Video
Watch the video about apartheid. What does it add to your understanding of the article?

8. Classroom Debate
Should amateur mining in the KwaHlathi area be illegal?

9. Quiz & Skills
Use the quiz to assess students’ comprehension and Organizing Ideas to review outlining skills.