The “Anhui/Congo Mining Investment Company” (Sacim) file has been in the news for several weeks in the socio-political world of the DRC. Independent observers have revealed less than rosy undersides of this affair, implicating some crooked and selfish Congolese who believed themselves untouchable until the arrival of Felix Tshisekedi to the supreme magistracy upset their plans.
One of the key players in this affair is Ngoyi Kasanji, alias “Tonton Ngokas”, the former governor of Kasai-Oriental for 12 years under the old regime, and support of the Kabila family in Mbuji-Mayi. According to observers, Ngoyi Kasanji let Congo lose all its due in the Sino-Congolese partnership called SACIM.
An equitable sharing of 50% was planned for each party, ie China 50% and DRC 50%. However, all the production was sold outside the country and the share supposed to return to the DRC mainly benefited a small group of people.
To overcome this injustice, President Tshisekedi had decided to create Tenders governed by an order which allows any buyer capable of concluding the contract to do so freely and according to the terms of the Center for Expertise, Evaluation and Certification ( CEEC). Observers note that the revenues collected by the public treasury are far superior to those made before.
One of the key buyers of diamonds from SACIM was a certain Kalambayi, on behalf of Ngoyi Kasanji, who was at the same time the owner of SOGEWIZ, a mining company operating within the perimeter of the space polygon belonging to Miba, without paying no duty or tax. The other Congolese could only buy small stones.
Hence the decision to open the sale of Sacim diamonds with the creation of Tenders, which angered Ngoyi Kasanji who saw his monopoly on the market crumble. However, Ngoyi Kasanji, alias “Tonton Ngokas”, was already known for the monopolization of the mineral wealth of the province of Kasaï-Oriental and the bloody repression of the anti-Kabila demonstrations in this region.
In short, this affair reveals the struggle of Félix Tshisekedi against the crooked and selfish Congolese who have plunged the country into misery. The President’s decision to create Tenders to allow free sale of diamonds is one of the measures to ensure that the country benefits from mineral wealth for the benefit of the entire Congolese population.