Dealing with urbanised mineral deposits in DR Congo: The city of Kolwezi and its pending removal.

This paper is about a city that is destined to disappear. Kolwezi’s location is unfortunate in that it is situated right on top of mineral deposits. Its surroundings abound in exploitable land as well and attracted many mining companies to date. But once the current mines are exhausted, it will be inevitable to remove the city in order to open up the untapped deposits it covers.
At the origin of the malposition of the city, is the dissension between the driving forces with at times opposite ends: the mining industry, the land registry (first CSK, today the Bureau du Cadastre), the politico-administrative authorities and the urbanists and geologists whom the latter consult. Simply put, while the politico-administrative bloc holds a long-term view on the development of the city, the mining industry has fast and tangible results in mind. The land registry vacillates between both parties, looking for compromises. But as will become clear while we proceed through this paper, the voice of the mining industry vastly outweighs the other players. As I will show, the mining industry’s dominance has led to Kolwezi’s uneasy position and inevitable disappearance in the long run. Furthermore, the (im)balance between the driving forces holds up until today, the mining industry still being very decisive for the way the city develops.