Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Joseph Kabila arrived at Tuynhuys in Cape Town on Thursday for talks with President Thabo Mbeki.
Kabila, who jetted into the city on Wednesday afternoon, is on an official visit to discuss, among other things, political and economic relations between South Africa and his mineral-rich country.
His cavalcade entered Stalplein at Parliament shortly after 10.30am where the youthful head of Africa’s third-largest state — he turned 36 earlier this month — was greeted by Mbeki. The pair proceeded along a red carpet to a podium, where Kabila was saluted by a guard of honour, a 21-gun salute was sounded and the national anthems of the two countries were played.
Kabila and Mbeki then walked back to Tuynhuys, greeting members of Cabinet who had lined up to meet the Congolese president. The proceedings were interrupted at this point by a small group of French-speaking Congolese immigrants who started calling out to Kabila in that language from behind the high wrought-iron fence and shrubs bordering Stalplein.
Mbeki and Kabila turned and walked towards the scene. Both men waved at the group, who, according to one official close to the scene, wanted to say hello to their president and speak of the ongoing violence in the eastern parts of their homeland.
The DRC is still recovering from the effects of the so-called Second Congo War, the world’s bloodiest conflict since 1945 in which an estimated four million have died, most from disease and starvation. The country remains plagued by outbreaks of violence.
There was a marked security presence at the welcoming ceremony, with police marksmen atop an adjoining high building, security officials on the roof of Tuynhuys and numerous police and plainclothes security officers within the parliamentary complex.
Also on the agenda for the bilateral talks are recent political developments in the DRC.
Kabila became his country’s first democratically elected president in January this year, following elections the previous November, although he has ruled the strife-torn Central African state since 2001, after his father, Laurent Kabila, was assassinated.
He was set to address a joint sitting of Parliament later on Thursday, meet Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and attend an official dinner hosted by Mbeki in his honour in the evening.
On Friday, Kabila and Mbeki will take part in the DRC Business Forum before Kabila leaves Cape Town for a visit to North West province. — Sapa