Jacqui wonders if there is a limit to the impact of the reparation of Crown Jewels for the lives of ordinary people in South Africa.

Hi , its Jaqui from Stockport near Manchester.
… with the coronation of King Charles coming up I was reading about the diamonds that are going into the different crowns. Well we know the Indian diamond the …nor or something I was thinking of the Cullinan diamond from South Africa, being South African myself and I was er reading about it and I think its a great opportunity for the Royal Family to um make peace for people in South Africa because the colonial time did damage South Africa an awful lot and peoples situation has not improved.

I went back after, oh, twenty three years staying with the family and I was taken on a little trip from Cape Town to the local township and this chappy said how proud they were of the progress the community has in this area and what the government has done. I got really angry and I turned around and I said I’m not a fool, I was born in this country, I’ve been away for twenty three years and I don’t see there’s any improvement at all. I actually feel the country has gone backwards for the people. How can you say you are proud of what has happened, and I started to look at all I could see around me. I think he got a bit embarrassed but I was passionate about it because nobody should live in such poverty and again its the corruption of the government taking the money and it doesn’t matter what background you are. Greed is greed and the government people have to be a huge part……….. and then you have the people really suffering and I was quite angry he thought they had improved because they hadn’t. Now there’s the chance the British Government could give back the Cullinan diamond,

(exasperated) You know, how is that going to change the situation of the people? I don’t know. It might bring reconciliation between Britain and South Africa. It might heal some of the wounds but I don’t see that diamond is going to, aah, increase the welfare of the people and so that’s something I’m looking at.
Take care bye bye.