Lubumbashi General construction and General Discussion.

[ILOVERDC13]

Lubumbashi is the second city of the DRC, it is developing itself. We should discuss and post anything about the city.

P.S butembo can you please make this a sticky?

[ILOVERDC13]

The city is small, very much populated and the provincial government is not really planning a correct communication system (no highway, no bigger roads) roads were meant for a city of 300 000 people but now the city is around 2 million people, there isn't the right urbanization planned. Nevertheless so many roads have been rehabilitated. Big up to katumbi for that, it is very pleasing to see places that I never thought would be rehabilitated.

Another big up to Moise is the city doesn't have any shegue, enfant de la rue. Unbelievable to see that the city was clean of shegue. Good job.

[preme3000]

Keeping along the same lines, I have a few questions since you have just left Lum.

1) What is the state of electricity and water distribution?

2) Employment opportunities? Obviously not official figures but just what you monitored from the people around you.

3)The life of an average family - 3 meals a day, 1 meal?

4) The make up of the city in terms of population, I feel that the city is much more mixed than certain people try to make

[preme3000]

4) The make up of the city in terms of population, I feel that the city is much more mixed than certain people try to make

The word I was looking for is demographic. What is the demographic of Lum?

Also, the food prices, are they affordable?

[ILOVERDC13]

Originally Posted by preme3000

Keeping along the same lines, I have a few questions since you have just left Lum.

Thanx for the questions.

1) What is the state of electricity and water distribution?

It is horrible. Remember I spent a lot of times off the forum well in that period the electricity was a problem. There is only one part of the whole city that have stable electricity which is Golf. There is a little improvement and the station being built in Katuba, the situation will only get better.

Water is the same and most of times worse. With the over population, they don't have a real plan about water yet.

2) Employment opportunities? Obviously not official figures but just what you monitored from the people around you.

You are from a rich family, very influenced and you studied overseas you will have a good job based on your family status and influence. You are a Katangese and you studied there is a chance to find a job which is rare. The contrast is you have an efficient education even overseas, you don't have an influenced family and you are not from Katanga tough luck for you. Overall is most jobs are informal, "corruptions" and I conclude there is lack of jobs, you can even see that by the amount of people that are walking on the roads instead of being in offices.

3)The life of an average family - 3 meals a day, 1 meal?

I would say 2 and the quality of the foods in most families is really bad.

4) The make up of the city in terms of population, I feel that the city is much more mixed than certain people try to make

Yes it is very mixed and people from Kasai are coming down.

[preme3000]

Thanks for taking the time to shed some light on my questions.

Another question, did you see young guys (in their 20s, 30s) in business? Running their own operations?

[ILOVERDC13]

Originally Posted by preme3000

The word I was looking for is demographic. What is the demographic of Lum?

Also, the food prices, are they affordable?

The food is affordable and the quality is not good which explains the "malnutrition" of people. Last year they showcase Kabila farm and how chicken prices will go down but apparently the farm is private. What I understood is there is food in katanga villages due to the lack of proper roads, the food is not going to Lubumbashi.

[ILOVERDC13]

Originally Posted by preme3000

Thanks for taking the time to shed some light on my questions.

Another question, did you see young guys (in their 20s, 30s) in business? Running their own operations?

Yes actually. One of my friend (26) has a brand new business, "Fresh Up" it is a water bottle company very recent and yet again his family is "rich".

[preme3000]

Originally Posted by ILOVERDC13

The food is affordable and the quality is not good which explains the "malnutrition" of people. Last year they showcase Kabila farm and how chicken prices will go down but apparently the farm is private. What I understood is there is food in katanga villages due to the lack of proper roads, the food is not going to Lubumbashi.

So what exactly is Moise's big achievements then? He gives off the impression of a frustrated guy that wants to make things happen but has limited resources. I think the budget for the whole province of Katanga was $500USD last year or the year before.

What has he done that has served the people so well that his face is all over anything Katanga related on the net?

I have seen clips of road reconstruction, farming initiatives with mining companies, schools have been rehabilitated. Have these been done on a large enough scale to lessen the pressure on the population from what you saw?

[ILOVERDC13]

Some upgrade on Kilwe Complex.






















Here is the site where they will build a soccer field, an Olympic pool, volleyball and basketball court.







The building without walls that is where they will be the changing rooms





The toilets, they are eastern type and unfortunately they are dirty



This is the company doing the renovation, it is a belgium company and my little finger tells me that the Belgiums have invested in the renovation since this building was really really falling down and it could have even been an embarassement to their once "chef d'oeuvre".

[BUTEMBO21]

Originally Posted by ILOVERDC13

What I understood is there is food in katanga villages due to the lack of proper roads, the food is not going to Lubumbashi.

I said this countless times. the rural/villages all they do is farm and thats where 64% of Congolese live. building roads will end malnutrition overnight because the peasants will transport their food to the cities easily and will reduce poverty really fast. Thats what Uganda, , Cote d'Ivoire did.thats all we need to do.

[bandundu]

ILOVERDC13, are the people from other provinces making money in Katanga. What if you are not Katangan , but you come up with your own idea and capital to start something are people going to block you from achieving. Is the tribalism?

[preme3000]

Originally Posted by ILOVERDC13

Thanx for the questions.

It is horrible. Remember I spent a lot of times off the forum well in that period the electricity was a problem. There is only one part of the whole city that have stable electricity which is Golf. There is a little improvement and the station being built in Katuba, the situation will only get better.

Maybe take a look at the opportunities of importing generators from South Africa into DRC.

Check (a) Export costs from SA (b) Import costs into DRC (c) Buying and selling prices of generators in both countries.

Africa being Africa, you might be able to strike a deal with a trucker, bypassing some import/export costs

Compared to the diaspora in the west, you guys have a bigger advantage. Just thinking out loud.

[ILOVERDC13]

Originally Posted by preme3000

So what exactly is Moise's big achievements then? He gives off the impression of a frustrated guy that wants to make things happen but has limited resources. I think the budget for the whole province of Katanga was $500USD last year or the year before. What has he done that has served the people so well that his face is all over anything Katanga related on the net?

Like you said, it is an impression he is not frustrated, he is enjoying the power very much so. To answer your question. Katumbi restored faith and hope in people, people can relate to him easily and he is simple but effective.

I don't know all the governors but i know different types of governors that have ran Katanga. We have the Tshombes who wanted session in the 60s. We have the "Gecamine" governor who-for me-were the best governors due to the fact that Gecamine was working and they were building different institutions, all over Katanga and this is during the 80s and early 90s. We have the "useless" ones who couldn't really do anything due to the war. After a decade or so and remember Congolese have a short memory, here comes someone very dynamic who has the support of his older brother Katebe, Katumba Mwanke and the supports of Mazembe fanatics (the supports make his first strength). He is very popular (second strength) and he is rich (third strength). Only a Mr perfect portray will come out all of his strengths and he has become the ultimate king of Katanga.

I have seen clips of road reconstruction, farming initiatives with mining companies, schools have been rehabilitated. Have these been done on a large enough scale to lessen the pressure on the population from what you saw?

Nope. The clips are mostly from his private channel who have a goal of havng the best Katumbi propaganda out there. We all saw the clips of the farming but once you arrived in Lubumbashi we don't see or hear about those farms. The Kabila farm that was supposed to reduce the price of chicken it has been a private project and you dare walk next to the farm, you go to jail. I give him credits for the roads that he has rehabilitated, they are not perfect roads maybe they are not for the long term but he dared do something about it. Can you imagine Ndjili or Matonge in a small scal with all the roads paved and yes Moise did that in Kenya, he did mostly because kenya is known to be Kabila strong base in contrast he did nothing in Katuba where kabila is hated or Kapemba.

[ILOVERDC13]

Originally Posted by preme3000

Maybe take a look at the opportunities of importing generators from South Africa into DRC.

Check (a) Export costs from SA (b) Import costs into DRC (c) Buying and selling prices of generators in both countries.

Africa being Africa, you might be able to strike a deal with a trucker, bypassing some import/export costs

Compared to the diaspora in the west, you guys have a bigger advantage. Just thinking out loud.

Yes, that is a good idea and all us can bring something to the table by being very aggressive (in a good way) about our ideas.

[ILOVERDC13]

Originally Posted by bandundu

ILOVERDC13, are the people from other provinces making money in Katanga. What if you are not Katangan , but you come up with your own idea and capital to start something are people going to block you from achieving. Is the tribalism?

There is tribalism but you can easily make money by fighting your way through. I.E Faustin Bakonda is from Kasai, Moise tried to block him in different ways as by not rehabilitating the roads that lead to his hotel, by "influencing the Belgium embassy to not give tickets to the Lupopo team to go train in Belgium"... But still he is fighting his ways through and Moise has stoped being aggressive towards him. It is all about your strive and connections, the tribalism is not that bad in Lubumbashi.

[BUTEMBO21]

Its funny how lots of people portray how strong tribalism is in Katanga (especially up in Tanganyika district ) as opposed to the rest of the country.

[ILOVERDC13]

Originally Posted by BUTEMBO21

Its funny how lots of people portray how strong tribalism is in Katanga (especially up in Tanganyika district ) as opposed to the rest of the country.

Because there is actually tribalism. it can seen in the less educated Congolese citizen. Have you noticed how tpmazembe.com never referred the club as a Congolese rather a Katangese team, that tells a lot.

[ILOVERDC13]

Some constructions going on for the last 2 years or so in Lubumbashi Central, we don't have any "high-rise" building yet. We got 3 or 4 interesting building arising and we should keep in mind that none of the mining company is investing in some interesting offices, administrative building. All of these building are being built by local "commercant" and indians.

Jambo Mart owned by Indians, the only building I truly liked and they have a fair business.








By night




Owned by a Congolese commercant, no render so we can't really figure out who are they. It will be a shopping center.







Anonymous owner and building


Owned by Nazem, a Libano-Congolese. It will be for apartments.




Shopping center, owned by?




Owned by Mutshingi, Congolese commercant. It will be a shopping center.

[jeroboamed]

cette ville devrait ressembler aux grandes villes mondiales, vu sa richesse; quand on a corruption et malgerance voila a quoi nous attendre. merci pour les photo ilovedrc.
le katanga se releve peu a peu, patience!