By Anneke Clarke
This feature on the Democratic Republic of Congo is the first in a monthly feature on countries with diplomatic representation in South Africa. We hope that through these features you will learn more about relations countries have with South Africa.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) sits in the heart of Africa. It is home to approximately 70 million people described by the Congolese Ambassador to South Africa, H.E. Bene M’Poko as “vibrant and warm.” The Congo is very rich in natural resources with excellent biodiversity and one of the largest forest reserves in Africa. “Name it, we have it; from diamonds to gold to copper to cobalt to coltan. We have 80% of the world’s reserves of coltan. We have oil, we have everything,” Ambassador M’Poko emphasised.
By Dr Matlotleng Matlou
Garvey said “a people without knowledge of its past is like a tree without roots” and “we are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery because whilst others might free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind”. February and October are celebrated as Black History Month across various parts of the African Diaspora; whilst May commemorates African History Month by different African countries providing opportunities for Africans globally to reflect as a people. Unfortunately these celebrations are often disparate and undertaken separately without sufficient involvement of Africans collectively, which is unsurprising given their history. It is important to understand that having common identity and heritage is insufficient in unifying a people or defining them as a Diaspora.
South African Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane has welcomed 34 Cuban water experts, who are in the country to share their skills to improve the quality of water. The arrival of the experts follows a bilateral agreement between South Africa and Cuba in 2014 on cooperation in the fields of water resources management and water supply. In October 2014, Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister Pam Tshwete went to Cuba on behalf of Minister Mokonyane to ratify the agreement and to appoint the water experts.The specialists have been contracted to work in South Africa for two years, with the possibility of extending their stay by another year. The recruited Cuban specialists include civil, electrical, hydraulic and mechanical engineers, and irrigation and drainage specialists. The recruitment of the engineers also involved the participation of a South African organisation of engineers, which helped the department to identify the specialists.
