Jakarta –
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the poorest countries in the world, there are a handful of crazy rich whose views are a stark contrast to the common people. They used to drive luxury cars on the streets and live in big houses.
Similar to Indonesia, Democratic Republic of the Congo is a country that has abundant natural resources, especially cobalt. Cobalt can be used for many things, from steel, cement, ceramics, to lithium batteries and cellphones.
However, the fate of most of the people cannot be said to be good. According to Amnesty International’s official website, more than 40,000 children there have to get used to carrying kilos of mining products for 12 hours. The maximum wage is only USD 2 or around IDR 30,000. It could be lower than that.
Artisanal miners carry sacks of ore at the Shabara artisanal mine near Kolwezi on October 12, 2022. Around 20,000 people work at Shabara, in shifts of 5,000 at a time. Photo: Junior Kannah/AFP/Getty Images
“I can work 24 hours a day. I come in the morning and go home the next morning. My foster mother wants me to go to school. But my adoptive father forces me to work in the mines,” said Paul (14).
As an illustration of the magnitude of the production of cobalt mines in RD Congo, by 2021, they will account for 72% of the world’s cobalt stocks. Therefore, it should RD Congo could be one of the richest countries in the world.
However, lax regulations mean that many illegal mines operate. Not to mention, many foreign countries control their mining wealth. RD Congo has only 32% of its shareholding in a joint venture with a Chinese company in 2022. Now, RD Congo is fighting for that figure to rise to 70%.
Crazy rich Kongo
Hardly crazy rich Congo frequently reported in the world’s major media. There is also a documentary released to describe the common people’s mess with crazy rich Kongo. There’s a total of 6% crazy rich of the population there.
From this 6%, contrast views can already be seen. If the officials in the mines have a very large salary, even the manual laborers have to work without safety devices for such a low salary. Finally, there are also many mining accidents that occur.
Launch DW, the crazy rich Congo mostly come from the mining bosses. But there are also entrepreneurs in other fields as well as artists who actually receive large fees. This is because the interest of the population in the Congo towards the entertainment industry is very high.
One example of the richest man is Robert Sennga. Robert Sennga has a very large house, even guarded by a number of police. His wealth was obtained from the Koltan Mine. As for the amount of net worth, it is not known with certainty.
In addition, Congo’s richest person comes from musician Fally Ipupa whose net worth is estimated at USD 15 million or around Rp. 228 billion. His wealth can be seen from the luxury homes and cars he owns.
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(ask/ask)
2023-08-11 12:15:09
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