This might be a surprise to everyone, but my trip to the Congo was actually my first trip outside South Africa. As a South African born, opportunities to travel outside the country have been scarce; however I was delighted to be able to embark on this one.
The reason for this trip was to conduct a scoping exercise on the Supply Chain business of Ruashi Mining, a copper and cobalt mine owned by Metorex, a junior mining company located in Johannesburg.
Before travelling to the Congo, I had heard a number of stories about the country: political (changes in the presidency), governance (cancellations of mining rights and corruption) and economic (devastating levels of poverty and inefficient banking system). However, instead of being scared, I was more than willing to embark on the trip, to experience the country myself.
On the 2nd of September 2009, the day came; I was at the airport at 6:00 in the morning. Our flight left at 7:40 and arrived at Lubumbashi at 10:00. We were welcomed by Hope, a Ruashi mine employee and Congolese local, who was very accommodative. She took us to Malabar, a VIP lounge at the airport and requested that we hand her our passport, a request that made Les and I very uncomfortable. Losing our passports would mean that there would be no way of going back home. We then left the airport without our luggage and passports, which left us very uncomfortable and confused! When we enquired about the ordeal, the answer was that Lubumbashi Airport is nothing like the OR Tambo Airport. Unless we were willing to enter into arguments in French, and pay a small per diem in dollars, it was preferable not to get involved in official administrative matters. We received the luggage and passport at the mine about three hours later.
At the mine we were welcomed by very pleasant people. The scoping exercise necessitated that we held interviews with the management team at Ruashi mine, the lads were very cooperative, and gave us all the information to ascertain what the problems were and how we would tackle them once appointed for the project. They also gave us more interesting information around operating in the DRC.
About the town, Lubumbashi is a fairly peri-rural town, with very little economic activity. The locals are dependent on the mining sector, which exploits the copper and cobalt resources that are abundant all over the Katanga Province. Lubumbashi is the capital of the Katanga Province and Ruashi Mine is one of the major economic contributors to the town. The town has a vibrant culture, a very relaxed lifestyle, and is home to TP Mazembe, one of the most prominent soccer teams in Africa. The local people speak fluent French and Swahili, however some of the more affluent locals do speak English. The town is also teeming with foreigners, most noticeable being South Africans, Zambians, Zimbabweans, Chinese, Belgians and Americans. Although the country’s currency is the Congolese Franc, the US dollar is widely accepted everywhere.
In conclusion, I really enjoyed Lubumbashi, its people, its culture and our assignment. If you ever travel to the country, please remember the following:
- Don’t take pictures of government buildings, including the airport.
- The police know better than you, so do not argue with them.
- If the police are soliciting a bribe from you, please just pay, unless you don’t mind being arrested.
- In general the people are very polite, so don’t be scared to experience
the town.
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