Tanzanite miner Kawiche becomes new ‘millionaire in town’

A small-scale miner in Tanzania has joined a ‘millionaires club’ after obtaining two rough Tanzanite gemstones worth 2.2bn/-.

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

The 3.73kg and 1.48kg blueish stones made Anselm Kawiche an overnight millionaire after being auctioned at Mirerani in Simanjiro District of Manyara Region on Saturday morning.

The #Tanzania Government is expected to purchase the previous stones.

In 2020, another small-scale miner in Tanzania became an overnight millionaire after selling two rough Tanzanite stones – the biggest ever found in the country.

Saniniu Laizer, a father of more than 30 children, earned £2.4m ($3.4m) from the country’s Mining Ministry for the gemstones, which had a combined weight of 15kg (33 lb).