In the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the governor of South Kivu drew up an initial assessment of his fight against corruption and the illegal exploitation of minerals that this province abounds with on September 8, 2024 in Bukavu. Jean-Jacques Purusi, who took office in June, assures that he will be able to recover much more than the $2.6 million collected in July-August.
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With our correspondent in Bukavu, William Basimike
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the governor of South Kivu reaffirms his determination to fight corruption and illegal mining. His recent decision to temporarily suspend illegal mining has allowed the provincial government to replenish the public treasury in less than 100 days.
Professor Jean-Jacques Purusi said this on Sunday during a ceremony organized for the residents at the Concorde stadium in Bukavu.
” Detect the cheaters, because there are many of them, and put them out of action »
In front of thousands of people who came to listen to him, the governor said that he had found only $195,000 in the public treasury accounts when he took office at the end of June. Since his push, the figures have been on the rise, he assured: ” We raised $1.1 million in July and $1.5 million in August. So, in total, $2.6 million dollars and we think it’s insignificant. Our goal is to go beyond that and detect the cheaters, because there are a lot of them, and put them out of action. »
The fight against illegal mining has helped to replenish the state coffers. Jean-Jacques Purusi claims to have the support of DRC President Félix Tshisekedi, and says he can do even better: ” South Kivu province is 14 times richer than the province of Lualaba. A foreign company, which exploits correctly or illegally, generates 20 million dollars per month. Just one ! When we closed these companies, we realized that, while we were expecting fifty or a hundred, it was 540. companies that came forward! »
Sammy Jean Takimbula, vice-president of civil society in South Kivu, welcomes this clarification, two months after the governor’s arrival: ” I like the governor’s idea. We would like to see this kind of meeting happen again. »
The governor of South Kivu specifies that the funds collected through taxes will be reinvested in territorial projects in order to boost the development of remote areas.
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