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President Joseph Kabila says despite Katanga Province boasting huge investments amounting to US$10 billion, people in the area are still wallowing in abject poverty.
President Kabila said that while a chain of trucks carrying minerals were continuously leaving Kolwezi for Kasumbalesa, the population in the area was languishing in abject poverty.
He said people were not benefiting from the mineral wealth or the huge investments except for a few individuals and that there was need to reverse this scenario.
Mr Kabila expressed these sentiments when he met a number of dignitaries in Kashamata.
After the President’s speech, Moise Ekanga, his handyman, with a team of people carefully handpicked were to leave for Kasumbalesa border post to officially count trucks registered in the DRC as part of the measures to address the situation.
But it is believed that the real task is to count the number of trucks allegedly transporting minerals for Katanga Province Governor Moise Katumbi’s family, whom the State is reportedly targeting.
Going by his sentiments, it seems President Kabila wants to suffocate Moise Katumbi financially.
Recently Government officials raided Kasumbalesa border post where they decried large-scale fraud, involving trucks. They claimed some trucks exited the border without paying certain taxes due to the State.
Sources say only 5 per cent of the fleet of trucks that traverse Congo ferrying minerals were registered in that country, while the rest in other countries.
But some people argue that if the President Kabila is really targeting Mr Katumbi, his actions would yield nothing as he (Katumbi) always ably paid his taxes accodingly.
