This thesis seeks to respond to the on-going complaints from both African and western scholars that Africa is negatively represented in the western media. The findings showed that news stories, opinions and commentaries expressed throughout the coverage of the Congo, including editorials and letters and from pre-colonial to modern Congo, were written by western journalists and correspondents from the London Times and associated correspondents, while four other news agencies Agence France Press (AFP), Associated Press (AP), the Belgian news agency (Belga) and Reuters were the main sources for The Times newspaper. News makers in Pre-Colonial and Colonial periods were almost exclusively westerners and references to the Congolese people appeared in generic terms. In Post-Colonial and Modern periods, Congolese people did appear by name but only in a limited capacity. The thesis also identifies differences between the coverage in each period, for example highlighting the critical engagement with the Congo that characterised the reporting of 1908. The Congo was represented over the periods sampled with negative stereotypes such a 'primitive', 'backward', 'barbaric, 'dangerous destination,' 'place for business,' 'natives to be civilised, evangelised and educated.' Recurring themes such as forced labour, civil war, corruption, child exploitation, poverty, refugees, witchcraft, dependency and mismanagement prevail in the reporting. The research investigated the changing representations of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the western media by examining its coverage in the London Times from a historical context that included four key historic years in the Congo's development, namely 1885, 1908, 1960 and 2006, referred to as the Pre-Colonial, Colonial, Post-Colonial and Modern Congo periods. The London Times, which used to be one of the leading western newspapers and the British newspaper of record, was selected. Content and discourse analysis were used to evaluate and categorise the news items published in the sampled periods to distinguish the emerging themes, to identify the sources, and to interpret the language used in the coverage. The findings have shown that since its inception to the modern period, the reporting of the Congo in The Times has avowedly been through western eyes, and, as with much journalism, has not offered any real context to the stories. The poor benighted heathens thus continue in their war-torn arbours.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg, September 2016. / The purpose of this research was to investigate the concepts of social and environmental justice in the context of solid waste management in Kinshasa and the critical factors accounting for injustice in this context. The investigation followed an examination of the relevant theoretical framework(s) and mechanisms that would facilitate the attainment of social and environmental justice in the city of Kinshasa, DRC. It was argued that social justice and environmental justice are a global challenge, and that efforts to address these challenges are usually biased towards employing eurocentric frameworks that are unfit to deal with the reality of environmental problems in a developing country scenario. The use of eurocentric urban development and planning approaches, which in most cases are outdated, have significantly propagated issues of spatial inequality in the distribution of solid waste burdens and have contributed to worsening justice concerns in many cities in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. It has been illustrated in this study that social justice and environmental justice in the context of solid waste management must be seen as intrinsically connected, as both concepts emphasise the need for empirical understandings grounded in local contexts. Social and environmental justices play fundamental roles in the theoretical construction of principles that can contribute to a sustainable community, thereby ensuring that the rights and needs of individuals in a society are met. In the context of solid waste, the concepts of social justice and environmental justice are compelling because of their focus on ensuring equal service delivery in solid waste collection and disposal, while simultaneously redressing previous imbalances. Walker (2009) argues that the principles of environmental and social justice and sustainable development are more generally in their infancy in sub-Saharan Africa, and few implementing agencies and practitioners have a clear understanding of how to translate these global principles into practice. It is not surprising, therefore, that unresolved issues around sustainable development and environmental justice have emerged in a period during which implementation and the real implications of following a justice pathway have overwhelmed many urban managers in sub-Saharan African cities (Patel 2009). Using both qualitative and quantitative research methods together with system thinking and system dynamics modelling principles as integral frameworks in understanding the complexity in solid waste management, it has been demonstrated that solid waste management in Kinshasa, like in many Congolese cities, is a duty entrusted to publicly-funded municipal authorities. There is a clear divide and evidence in the manner by which solid waste is managed between the rich and poor neighborhoods of the city. The rich neighbourhoods seem to enjoy well-formulated systems of service delivery, in contrast with high-density areas, where almost 80% of the population in Kinshasa resides. This state of affairs is a result of inequalities that exist between the more powerful wealthy class and the disempowered poor people of the urban society in Kinshasa. Furthermore, cultural theory paradigms and conceptual System Dynamics (SD) modelling principles were employed to establish how the stakeholders in the form of four social solidarities (fatalist, hierarchist, individualist and egalitarian) influence solid waste management in the city and how they interact with each other dynamically. Based on this inter-linkage, interaction and causal feedback relations, a politico-cultural mechanism was evolved to enable changes to social and environmental injustices in solid waste management in Kinshasa, DRC. It was argued that a cultural theory inspired participative and collaborative mechanisms could result in the incorporation of a majority of the stakeholders in the decision making and implementation of solid waste management, adoption of technologies and innovative ways of managing solid waste, which could prompt social and environmental justice in solid waste management in Kinshasa, DRC. The findings of the study have both theoretical and practical implications. They provide a thorough discourse on environmental justice in solid waste management and how cultural theory paradigm can offer a new dimension to the theories behind stakeholder’s participation in local development and management matters, particularly with respect to social and environmental injustice in solid waste management in sub-Saharan African cities. They also explicitly show how the various social solidarities could work dynamically in an integrated manner, and enable development of policy intervention mechanisms to resolve the solid waste management challenges and attain social and environmental justice through their effective collaboration, and participation, although this may be through compromises and tradeoffs in place of consensus. This paradigm could assist government agencies like municipalities to develop appropriate policy interventions and implementation strategies to resolve solid waste management challenges in sub-Saharan African cities in general and in the Democratic Republic of Congo in particular. Keywords: Cultural theory, environmental justice, social justice, solid waste management, urban environmental problem, Kinshasa / LG2017

No description available.

In 2013, the U.S. Department of State allocated nearly $45 million to the Texas Office of Refugee Resettlement to help aid with the resettlement of 6,922 refugees. Approximately 10 percent of all refugees who were brought to the U.S. that year were resettled in Texas. Austin received 716 of those refugees. For 30 years, the U.S.'s Refugee Admissions Programs has been providing aid and money to help refugees fleeing religious and political persecution resettle in the U.S. The program is a system of public-private partnership in which the U.S. Department of State hands out funds to local non-profit organizations to oversee the initial six months of the resettlement. The current program is largely underfunded and is based on a self-sufficiency model that requires refugees find a job within four months of arrival setting many refugees on a path towards poverty as they are often come from conflict zones with minimal English skills, knowledge of how the U.S. works or programs to help them use whatever skills or education they have to find better paying jobs. This paper critiques elements of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program through the case study of one family that has recently arrived in Austin, Texas, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. / text

My work explores protracted conflict in DR Congo representationally, considering ways in which conflict is thematized in Western media around sexual violence. I use content and text mining to think through the role of framing in media, and conduct discourse analysis tracing how rape in the context of war has become instrumentalized by Western media to make sense of and justify interventions in the conflict in DR Congo. Specifically I examine forty-two articles published in diverse sources containing the phrase "rape capital of the world" to uncover links between violence, gender, and power. This thesis is generally situated within a postmodern feminist critique of overemphasis on rape and sexual violence as a universal narrative about women’s lives. My policy recommendation is stop implementing laws singling out rape in the context of war as a unique assault, because they enforce female vulnerability and injurability by representing women as victims/pre-victims of SGBV.

No abstract available. / Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Centre for Human Rights / unrestricted

The flexibility of long-term investment contracts is a benefit to both an investor and the state for mitigating the effect of an unforeseeable event which negatively impacts on the viability of the contract. However, the aspect of sanctity of contract has often prompted rigid provisions with the underlying rationale that this gives investors security and predictability. In contrast, by virtue of the principle of fundamental change of circumstances, new trend has come to life in the field of extractive industries consisting of inclusion in the contract a provision that provides for renegotiation or adaptation of the existing agreement. The reasoning behind the adoption technique is that parties should not be obliged to carry on a performance which would be unjustly onerous or fruitless due to a supervening unregulated event. The main criticism of this approach is that the claim for renegotiating an existing agreement which contains no renegotiation clause or insistence on a third party intervention for adapting such a contract amount to an undue interference. However, the manner in which contracts are negotiated in countries that exhibit poor governance or situation of army conflict challenges this view. The question asked is whether an unfair contract concluded with unelected government or leaders of military factions and subject to corruption can be allowed to survive without being revised. The DRC, realizing this problem, undertook to renegotiate some of its mining contracts with specific objectives, such as; investor respect of legislation, use of local resources, social responsibility clauses, and evaluation of the input of the partners taking into account the equity shareholding with the public party holding not less than 51%. This has resulted in the termination and cancellation of certain contracts. Aggrieved investors filed several proceedings, but they dropped them, privileging an amicable settlement. Besides, the outcome of the renegotiation suggests that Congolese negotiators have not fully achieved the objectives set out at the start of the process. Against this backdrop, the dissertation found that the Congolese mining sector is governed by a broad range of regulations and corresponding supervisory bodies. Constant suspicions of illegally mining exploitation prevail on the sector as a result of the ill enforcement of the aforesaid regulations, corruption and mismanagement. This study also found that renegotiating an existing agreement is a common practice in commercial contracts. Major systems of law have dealt with when they confronted with the issue related to the non-performance of a contractual obligation. The stability of the contractual terms is must but, at the same time, a certain degree of flexibility is necessary to allow parties to adjust their relationship in case of imperfections, cultural differences or supervening of unforeseen events. However, to be effective, the renegotiation mechanism must be regulated for not fuelling unlimited demand of adaptation, therefore, instability of the contract. The renegotiation of mining contacts in DRC was extremely politicised. However, both investor and Congolese sides have benefited from that differently. The Congolese government gave preference to short-term profits result to the expenses of the long-term improvements. By comparison, the majority of investors have secured their assets. Others have even increased them. An examination of the amended agreement that have been disclosed so far reveals that a lot issues remain unresolved, particularly with regard to the reasons that prompted the renegotiation. Moreover, parties to the aforesaid process did not attempt to regulate future demands of adaptation. Based on these findings, the recommendation of the dissertation is that future mining agreements should include a renegotiation clause and regulate the intervention of a third party. The Congolese government should endeavour to lessen political interference throughout mining contract negotiations. It should also build negotiation skills among its representatives involved in that process. Investors should increase among them awareness of corporate social responsibility standards for preventing illegal exploitation of mining resources which, ultimately, results in triggering unilateral contract adjustment. The remaining issues in connection with the amended agreements should be resolved amicably for this approach is more likely to bring mutual satisfaction to both the Congolese state and investors. / Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Centre for Human Rights / unrestricted

This dissertation entitled: “Policy Options in The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC): An Overview from 1960 to 2006” entails to develop an analytical framework with the intention of looking at various policy options that could guide the leadership in mapping out a roadmap for sustainable development in the reconstruction of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The research recognises that suitable policies which can provide solutions for the political and socio-economic problems of the DRC must be sought within the geographic, demographic, religious and ethnic context of that country. Hence, the dissertation departs from the premises that the diagnosis of the solution needed to remedy problems afflicting many African nations such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo begins with the inherent problem of governance. Consequently, the study investigates sources of bad governance and factors which have led to the collapse of a state beginning with the historical consequence of colonialism and the mismanagement by successive regimes. These factors are largely responsible for the decimation of potentially, Africa’s wealthiest nations, reducing them to being amongst the poorest in the world. Beyond the context of the continental policies, the dissertation examines the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s own Post Conflict and Reconstruction policy. Also for consideration is the areas of priority that needs focussing on if a post conflict and reconstruction policy is to be successful. This includes ensuring that peace and security prevails by stabilising the country through the reform of the security sector. Security in this context must be understood in its broad format which includes human security. On the other hand, the study also presents the argument that policies alone are not sufficient to create a functioning state that is of service to its people. For the future and prosperity of the Congo, it is essential not only to have the correct policies only, but also a leadership, at all levels, that will embrace and implement them. / Dissertation (MAdmin)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA) / unrestricted

The DRC has recently embarked on a new SEZ project. The country does not have a history of success with SEZs, however, much like other African countries. This paper investigates the past and current legal frameworks governing SEZs in the DRC, in an attempt to identify their weaknesses and strengths, with the ultimate goal of finding room for improvement and preventing the failures from the past from occurring again. Because the DRC cooperates closely with South Africa on SEZ regulation, the paper also delves into the South African experience, to see whether the DRC can already draw lessons from South Africa. The study then formulates a number of recommendations including that a new fiscal and non-fiscal incentive framework should be established. / Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2014 / gm2015 / Centre for Human Rights / LLM / Unrestricted

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been ravished by internal conflicts for the past two decades. These conflicts have come at a great cost to the people of the DRC, often resulting in a number of human rights atrocities. These atrocities range from the loss of life, resulted in internal displacement and creation of refugees’ communities, as well as the destruction of property and infrastructure , all contributing to prevailing conditions of poverty and deep societal divisions. While there are many underlying factors that fuel these conflicts, the key drivers of the conflict are linked to the unequal distribution of the DRC’s national resources and the mismanagement of public services. Intense frustration and a sense of helplessness to change the status quo have repeatedly manifested itself in a cycle of war and ethnic cleansing. In this regard, the pattern of conflicts has been the manifestation of the frustration of the Congolese people as a whole. / Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa)) -- University of Pretoria, 2010. / A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Law University of Pretoria, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Masters of Law (LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa). Prepared under the supervision of Prof. Nico Steytler at the Faculty of Law, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa. 2010. / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/ / Centre for Human Rights / LLM