Congo: Sexwale 'Caught Up' in US Probe of Suspect DRC Mining Deal

Jul 10, 2014 | Mail&Guardian
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In the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the Congo River rises from the Katanga Plateau to arc across central Africa and drain into the Atlantic, lies one of the world’s richest mineral stores.

Katanga Province is best known for its copper and cobalt mines, but its mosaic of ailing farms, degraded woodlands and dire poverty also belies a wealth of uranium, manganese, diamond and tin deposits.

For decades, this “veritable geological scandal”, as an early European surveyor memorably described the profusion, has fuelled repeated cycles of secessionist violence. Last year rebel groups pushing for Katanga’s independence attacked its capital, Lubumbashi. The fighting has displaced thousands of people.

But the promise of riches has also attracted a procession of mining companies, investors and financiers searching for high-return investments.