Lesotho is a country well known for its diamonds and is home to some of the biggest diamond finds in the world. However, since the discovery of diamonds at Letseng in 1967, the contribution of diamond mining to the economy of Lesotho has been unpredictable. In the past diamonds were not mined consistently because most of the initial feasibility studies conducted at the exploration stage showed that diamond mining in Lesotho could not be sustained and commercialised. This initial conclusion was, however, not supported by individual miners who continued to mine despite the survey findings.
In October 2006, the Zimbabwean press broke news of a diamond finding in the remote district of Marange, in the eastern province of Manicaland. This immediately precipitated a scramble for the precious mineral by both local villagers and fortune hunters from outside the district, and indeed from outside the country. The Zimbabwe government is seeking to exert some regulation on the mining activities and on the diamond trade, but with limited success so far.
