The residents of Mama Mobutu City in the Mont Ngafula district are planning to hold a sit-in on Matadi Road this Saturday, starting at 4 am, to demand government funding for the resumption of roadwork that has been abandoned for almost 3 weeks. This peaceful activity is being organized by the "La Colline" syndicate. A member of this group spoke on Thursday during the Eucharistic celebration held as part of the Easter Triduum at the Church of the Catholic parish of Saint John the Apostle. "We chose this time to avoid increased traffic on this road, which would prevent us from occupying the site," he specified, calling on the public to respond in large numbers. This has led many analysts to believe that the protesters will barricade national road number one (RN 1) to halt the flow of vehicles coming from or going to Central Kongo, making their voices heard.
A member of the "La Colline" syndicate explained to the faithful at mass: "6 months ago, a company came to start the road rehabilitation works on Avenue de la Santé, but they had to abandon them due to a lack of funding.” He continued, to date, the site has been abandoned. A month ago, another company began work (in the presence of city authorities NDLR) only to once again abandon it. According to the staff of this company, it was due to lack of funding that this situation occurred. We risk losing our beautiful city as was the case with the erosions in 2008. Because, according to the information we have, in April, according to forecasts, there could be heavy rains...
As a reminder, several asphalted avenues of Mama Mobutu City were razed by bulldozers in anticipation of their rehabilitation, hindering proper vehicle circulation and even pedestrian traffic. Regrettably, the residents would have preferred them to remain in their state of disrepair rather than suffer such a fate, which isolated many households. With the slightest rain, these avenues become artificial lakes where mosquitoes and toads find refuge and breed. The laying of gravel followed by compaction, and the construction of ditches, had led the residents of Mama Mobutu to believe in a better tomorrow. But alas, for some time now, workers from the construction company, who are reportedly mostly day laborers according to the information, are no longer showing up at the site. Even the Lebanese subject who led the work has gone missing. The machinery of this civil engineering company, bearing the initials BTP yet otherwise unidentified, has been placed everywhere, thereby blocking traffic in all directions.
In 2008, the women of the churches of Mama Mobutu City, led by those of the Saint John the Apostle parish, had gained a victory after organizing a similar activity to obtain government funding for anti-erosion work following erosions that threatened the neighborhood.
Boni Tsala