The government is trying to crack down on the smuggling, but policing Congo's gigantic border -- like patrolling Mozambique's coast -- is simply too big a challenge today. "We found 300 trucks lying in a queue along the border, with copper and cobalt to be processed in Zambia," fumes Kasongo. "Twenty-six smelters were waiting for it in China. We stopped it."
Kasongo seems destined to make more enemies still. One of the most controversial contracts he is examining, for example, involves a public Canadian-British entity called Katanga Mining. Congo's central bank governor sits on its board of directors and, until recently, so did the minister of portfolio. "There is no way we can run this country if people keep having conflicts of interest," says Kitenge, the local businessman and publisher. "Corruption at the top of the government is far beyond 70%. The economy is run by a mafia. And the poor are getting poorer every single day."
Like most China-Africa agreements, the fine print on the Congo megadeal has yet to be made public. But it's hard to believe that the standard pattern of corruption won't assert itself. Certainly the experience in the Congo of Frank He and Michael Huang isn't very encouraging. Before setting up their copper concession in Zambia, the Chinese brothers initially explored doing business in Congo. They left in the end, they told me, after finding the environment too chaotic and dangerous. At one point, according to Huang, Congolese immigration officials demanded a large bribe. Alarmed, the brothers called the Chinese embassy for assistance. This is the advice they received: "You came with money. Pay them."
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Recent Comments | 10 Total
October 22, 2008 at 12:34am by Ann Garrison
You say that, "In reality, China is part of the problem," and then detail the Chinese mineral smuggling that Kasongo is trying to stop. Obviously the Chinese black marketeers or whatever have more cash to throw at the smuggling than Kasongo has to throw at stopping it, but is Kasongo signing a contract with China, to exchange minerals, legally mined, for infrastructure, roads, schools, hospitals, clean water and electricity, going to affect the smuggling one way or another? Make it worse? He has to do something, so why not China? I've heard this story before; it's not great; China in Africa is anything but great, but you don't put forth another idea for the Congo, so this just seems hugely cynical. I also hear Africans and Congo friends looking at what China offers with eyes wide open and saying, "Well, it's the best deal on offer, and the only offer to build desperately needed infrastructure."
November 11, 2008 at 8:56am by willy wacker
I disagree with the perception Kasongo tries to create. He is in power since 4 years and to date the only thing what he has achieved is to discredit the Congo,made any project unfinancable while the country missed the biggest boom ever thanks to him.The revenues could have already started if he had not made sure that all are delayed + 3 years. The only person who benefitted financially to date was him ( as he is not as honest as he tries to portray himself)as is dealing the projects out several times. If the country could get rid of him and his cronies it would be a lot easier for the local population to benefit from the next boom at least.