Calls for Britain to Return Cullinan Diamonds Set in Crown Jewels to SA Sparks Debate in Mzansi

• King Charles III's impending coronation has reignited calls for the Cullinan Diamonds to be returned to South Africa
• The Cullinan Diamond unearthed in South Africa in 1905 was given to the British monarch by the colonial government of the time
• South Africans are divided on whether the diamond should be returned, with many questioning who it would benefit

With King Charles III set to be coronated on Saturday, 6 May, Some South Africans have been calling for the British government to return the famed Cullinan I and II Diamonds.

The Cullinan I, also referred to as the Star of Africa, the diamond is set in the sceptre King Charles III will hold during his coronation.

The 530-carat diamond, discovered in South Africa in 1905, was gifted to the British royal family by the colonial government of the time.

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Activist promotes petition to have Callinan diamonds returned to SA

A lawyer and activist for Johannesburg, Mothusi Kamanga, has promoted an online petition for the diamond to be returned. The petition has already gathered 8 000 signatures, TimesLIVE reported.

Kamanga said that the diamond is a sign of South Africa's pride, heritage and culture and, therefore, must be returned to South Africa.

Kamanga said:

“I think generally the African people are starting to realise that to decolonise is not just to let people have certain freedoms, but it's also to take back what has been expropriated from us.”

The call for the return of the precious gem falls under a greater global conversation about former colonial power returning artwork and artefacts that were pillaged during the colonial era, Reuters reported.

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Mzansi debates the return of the Cullinan diamond

Social media has been abuzz with people debating whether the precious jewels should be returned.

Some question whether the diamond will be safe in SA in light of political instability and widespread corruption.

Below are some comments:

@MatthewsMaphal1 claimed:

"If it's returned, the cadres will make it disappear permanently."

@CRangataJ said:

"Mxm. I’d rather it be there where it will be protected for hundreds of years. Everyone knows it originated from South Africa."

@Mshikashikaa added:

"Not only the return of the minerals. We are calling for the return of stolen land."

@matikweni94 commented:

"They can keep that diamond. The dignity of the people in SA will be restored through proper governance, an end to loadsheading, running water, reduction of crime and poverty and the reduction of the high cost of living."

@ManOfSteel19901 suggested:

"They can buy it if they want it so much."

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Investments and inheritance leave Charles III sitting on a fortune

Earlier, Briefly News reported that through inheritance, royal estates and shrewd investing while a prince, Charles III, will be crowned on May 6 with a considerable fortune to his name.

Queen Elizabeth II bequeathed her son an estimated R8.8 billion upon her death in September last year, boosting Charles's fortune to R12 billion, according to an estimate by The Times.

The former prince of Wales built up his coffers with an ambitious investment programme following his R341 million divorce from his wife Princess Diana in 1996, according to a royal aide quoted by the newspaper.

Source: Briefly News