flight of the diamond smugglers

Author Matthew Gavin Frank and his hard-hiiting book ‘Flight of the Diamond Smugglers’. Image via Instagram @matthewgfrank

Book Review: ‘Flight of the Diamond Smugglers’ a fascinating read

On a wing and a prayer: ‘Flight of the Diamond Smugglers’ by author Matthew Gavin Frank is a perfect combination of memoir and investigative reporting.

flight of the diamond smugglers

Author Matthew Gavin Frank and his hard-hiiting book ‘Flight of the Diamond Smugglers’. Image via Instagram @matthewgfrank

Flight of the Diamond Smugglers is a beautiful and fascinating book on diamond smuggling in South Africa.

PERFECT COMBINATION OF MEMOIR AND INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING

What makes the book more interesting is that most people probably know the De Beers Corporation. But what is not well-known is what happened along the Diamond Coast.

If you have ever been to Hondeklipbay, Koningaas, and Port Nolloth in the Northern Cape, you know how true these stories are, and that illegal mining is still an ongoing battle. Residents telling tales of diamonds washing out on the beaches and showing you the diamonds are real.

This book by author Matthew Gavin Frank is a perfect combination of memoir and investigative reporting.

‘Flight of the Diamond Smugglers’ a page-turning tale of suspense

It starts on a sad note but soon turns into a page-turning tale of suspense. Frank and his wife Louisa suffer their sixth miscarriage, and their longing for a baby is heart-wrenching.

During a trip to his wife’s native South Africa to spread their child’s ashes at Big Hole — an underground mine-turned-tourist attraction, Frank decided to learn more about the history of the mine. It is clear that Frank becomes obsessed with the history of mining in an attempt to come to terms with his grief.

Here, Frank decided to learn more about the history of the mine and the area, and his curiosity led him to a child mineworker named Msizi, who is only 13 years old. Msizi has a pigeon named Bartholomew.

Pigeon ‘smugglers’

Frank learns through Msizi how mineworkers sneak trained carrier pigeons onto mines, affix diamonds to their feet or wings, and send them into the air to fly to workers’ homes.

He quickly learns that not all pigeons survive — some are weighed down by diamonds while others are confiscated by mine security or shot down.

Impact of De Beers on communities

The impact of De Beers controlling both the land and the government is shocking. Frank’s reporting on mineworkers, their pigeons, the towns, communities, and the people that have struggled in the wake of mine closures makes for compelling reading.

The sad part of this is, for someone like me who has fallen in love with the Diamond Coast and has visited the area several times, the aftermath of the closure of the mines is very real. The communities are still struggling with the closure of mines.

There is still a lack of alternative economic opportunities. Beautiful small towns, once flourishing with miners and their families, are now ghost towns with little or no resources.

Reading about how miners at the diamond mines used pigeons to steal diamonds was interesting, but this book highlights how these companies exploit their workers.

Flight of the Diamond Smugglers is published by Icon Books Ltd and is available at Exclusive Books for R272.

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