Saniniu Laizer, 52, earned 7.
74 billion Tanzanian shillings ($3.3 million) from Tanzania’s mining ministry after selling two rough Tanzanite stones, an extremely rare and precious find.
The Tanzanite stones reportedly have a combined weight of 15kg and are said to be the largest ever find in the East African nation. Weighing in at 9.2kg and 5.8kg, the largest Tanzanite to be mined before this discovery weighed just 3.3kg.
Laizer, a small scale miner discovered the two huge, dark violet-blue stones in a Tanzanite mine in north Tanzania, mining them last week. As reported by BBC News, he sold them during a trading event in the northern region of Manyara on Wednesday, June 24.
Despite Laizer’s new millionaire status, which has seen him receive congratulations from President John Magufuli, he reportedly doesn’t intend to change his lifestyle too much and wants to continue caring for his 2,000 cows.
Laizer has over 30 children and four wives. He plans on celebrating the occasion with a ‘big party’ and will slaughter one of his own cows as part of the celebrations.
Lazier also intends to make a significant investment in his local community, working to make improvements for those living in Manyara’s Simanjiro district.
“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,” Lazier said. “I am not educated but I like things to run in a professional way. So I would like my children to run the business professionally.”
Tanzanite is one of the rarest gemstones on Earth, and can only be found in a small northern region in Tanzania.
BBC News reported that one local geologist has estimated that the already decreased supply of Tanzanite may well be depleted completely within the next two decades.
Known for its stunning variation of hues, the value of these gemstones is ultimately determined by their rarity, with finer color or clarity raising the price.
According to The Guardian, a fence was built around tanzanite mining concessions back in April 2018 in order to control illegal mining and trading activities. During this time, officials estimated that 40% of tanzanite being mined in the region was being lost.
Artisanal miners are not employed officially by mining companies and tend to mine stones by hand.
In 2019, Tanzania established trading centers across the country to allow artisanal miners to sell gold and gemstones to the government. This move has been encouraged widely by those seeking to make improvements within the industry.