While President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo is busy presenting the DRC to the world as a solution country in the fight against climate change, land grabbers are taking pleasure in destroying what little green space remains in the city-province of Kinshasa to build their homes.
It is in this context that a group of "new money" individuals has reportedly initiated a project to subdivide the land housing the Cercle Kinshasa, under the pretext of a supposed reform of this recreational establishment.
Don't touch the green lung!
The rumors surrounding this project have sparked outrage in many circles in Kinshasa.
This is especially true given that this site, with its forest and the idyllic greenery of its golf course, is one of the few areas that currently present a positive image of the Congolese capital. Many Kinshasa residents have always considered this site one of the last green lungs of the Gombe district, a city whose environment is deteriorating daily due to unsanitary conditions, flooding, uncontrolled construction, and traffic congestion.
Despite its private status, the Cercle has played an important role in Gombe for decades, both ecologically and in terms of its location. It therefore does not deserve to be sacrificed to predatory interests, even those of its own members.
Sport also brings prestige to the DRC.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is fortunate to have a great sportsman at its helm today in the person of President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo. As proof, it was under his leadership that the country successfully hosted the 9th Francophonie Games in 2023. We can also highlight the organization of other international competitions in various disciplines such as boxing, handball, and volleyball.
It is also under the leadership of Félix Tshisekedi that Congolese football has just made history by qualifying for the final phase of the World Cup, scheduled for next June in three countries in the Americas: the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This historic achievement comes 52 years after our first participation in 1974.
These achievements demonstrate the DRC's return to the international sporting stage.
The existence of a magnificent golf course in Kinshasa should therefore be preserved, with a view to hosting international golf competitions.
This momentum should also build upon the diplomatic victory achieved by the DRC against Rwanda, at a time when part of eastern Congo is occupied by the Rwandan army. If the Kinshasa Circle survived several regimes before Félix Tshisekedi came to power, why should it disappear under the rule of the first Congolese sportsman?
This question is on the minds of all those advocating for the development of the Kinshasa Circle estate.
The problem becomes even more troubling when we learn that among those coveting this concession are not only businessmen, but also some members of the government and their relatives. They all dream of erecting their buildings on this site, which has, after all, survived several generations.
Such insatiable appetite contrasts sharply with the ecological vision championed by the Head of State, who has always maintained that the DRC is a country with solutions in the global fight against climate change.
DMK
La Tempête des Tropiques / MCP, mediacongo.net via IMCongo.com
