Submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the Degree of Masters: Public Management, Durban University of Technology, 2017. / Constant change through global competition, technological advances and socio-economic improvement, permeates the contemporary environment in the world including certain African countries. Oil refineries are in constant progress with regards to modernisation and development. Many oil refineries all over the world are operating according to the expected scope of oil products to be produced and supplied, in line with the objectives of meeting domestic and international demand. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has one oil refinery only named Congolese Company of Oil Refining Industries (SOCIR), which has become less productive, uncompetitive, inefficient and unable to achieve its socio-economic roles or goals of supplying the country with oil products and of contributing to national socio-economic development. This study aimed to explore the socio-economic role of the petroleum refining industry in the DRC, through the case study of the SOCIR. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the factors affecting the socio-economic development in the DRC; identify the challenges experienced by SOCIR in the macro-environment; and explore the socio-economic effects the upgrading of SOCIR could have on the socio-economic situation in the DRC. In order to achieve these objectives, the study was undertaken as a quantitative survey combined with qualitative in-depth interviews to provide better understanding of the information obtained from the survey. The quantitative study was conducted on administrative personnel, academics, students, and public and private participants involved in the oil and gas industry in the DRC. Hundred participants were selected for the quantitative survey and five in-depth interviews were conducted to discuss the findings and results obtained through the quantitative study. The macro-environment variables of the PESTIE model were used to accomplish the aim and objectives of this study. The result of this study revealed that most factors affecting the socio-economic development of the DRC are related to the PESTIE instabilities, lack of economic diversity and constant national and regional ethnic or armed conflicts that are fuelled by multiple interests linked to natural mineral resources. The ageing of SOCIR infrastructure, the lack of financial capital and the lack of investments for human capital development were identified as the main challenges experienced by SOCIR. Furthermore, it was highlighted that if SOCIR upgraded with new efficient processing technology, it could increase its capacity of production, contribute on reducing the effects of total dependency on imports of all needs for petroleum products and prevent the country from exporting the total oil output, contribute on supplying the country with sufficient quality and quantity of clean oil products, and promote the oil and gas industry development and integration. The results of this study also indicated that SOCIR development could play a key role leading to economic diversity and growth with direct, indirect and induced impacts of massive job creation and contribute on reducing unemployment, poverty and inequality of many Congolese which are living under the poverty datum line. The study revealed that the outcome of the oil and gas industry integrated and developed through SOCIR modernisation strategy could steer the socio-economic change and transformation in the country. It is recommended to the government of DRC to constantly review, monitor and implement policies and regulations that could promote the oil and gas industry development in the country. The results of the study should also influence policy-makers and decision-makers on formulating innovative and creative policies, setting programmes, methods and interventions, which will enable the development of the oil and gas industry. / M

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

M.A.

M.Tech. (Engineering: Electrical) / In this study, we explore the DRC ICT environment and propose an ICT Innovation System. We also explore the RSA ICT Innovation System for comparability. The theoretical frameworks used are Actor-network Theory (ANT) and Capability Approach (CA). These frameworks allows us to understand interaction and interrelationship between different actors (human and non-human) i.e. actor-network with aligned interest which is ICT and socio-economic environment for producing successful network. CA allows us to understand ICTs as a commodity that provides opportunities by increasing capability. We use a mixed methods approach, consisting of qualitative and quantitative methods to collect and analyse the data. The interpretation was made in an integrative manner, findings of qualitative and quantitative are mixed for interpretation. Participants involved in the study were two DRC organizations for qualitative study: Ministry of Health (MoH) and Free University of Great Lakes (FUGL) with which we conducted four interviews. Other participants in the quantitative study are individuals that completed survey questionnaires with one hundred people at Eldorado Park in Gauteng province (RSA) and one hundred at Lemba in Kinshasa province (DRC). The emerged themes from our sampling were ICT partnership public-private; ICT Human resources; ICT Infrastructure; ICT4D (e-health, e-education, e-agriculture, universal access); Government ICT initiatives and ICT services and applications used. Findings as well as recommendations, based on themes and building block, consisting of actors and networks – institutions – knowledge, related to Sectoral Innovation System (SIS) applied to DRC ICT sector realities, showed: the necessity of transnational network between DRC Government - Private ICT Company & Investors - International & Regional Organizations for the establishment of models of ICT innovative projects, ICT legal framework and ICT finance. These actors and network will respond to socio-economic challenges such as poverty, illiteracy and disease through ICTs. We propose an ICT Innovation System for the DRC where the Government agencies, R&D centres, NGOs, public and private ICT companies, international and regional organisations will work together for ICT knowledge diffusion, cheap ICT solutions and an innovative legal for ICT framework specifically for DRC.

Magister Scientiae (Biodiversity and Conservation Biology) / There has been an influx of refugees from African countries into South Africa as a result of having been displaced by war. Starting in 1994, the genocide in the Great Lakes region exacerbated existing ethnic and political tensions. Of the 25,000 recognized refugees in South Africa, nearly 8,000 are from Congo- Kinshasa, comprising the highest number. LIterature indicates that refugees suffer from a high incidence of traumatic symptoms and posttraumatic stress syndrome. This study explored the traumatic aspects of refugee status in a sample of Congolese refugees relocated to Cape Town.

Magister Philosophiae - MPhil / Background: In the Democratic Republic of Congo, 22.2% of the total population is in the age group of 15 to 24 years. In this country, this population group faces a large number of reproductive health problems. Even though the concerned health officials have implemented several health care programs, the youth particularly girls still have many problems particularly lack of sexual health information, poor health care, inability to avoid early and unprotected sexual relationships, early marriage, early pregnancies, early childbearing, etc. Objectives: The aim of this study is to examine reproductive health issues among young women and to understand how they utilise the health care systems in their respective socio-economic and demographic characteristic. Data and Methods: Descriptive and multivariate analyses were used. Cross tabulation, Chi-square, Phi coefficient and Cramer‘s V were applied to test for association between independents and outcome variables. At multivariate level of analysis, binary logistic regression was performed. All analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. Results: The study found that young women who faced early sexual intercourse (OR=73.5) and those who experienced it at 16-17 (OR= 42.3) are more at risk of early marriage than those who initiated at the age 18-24. Meanwhile, young women with no education (OR=14.1), primary and secondary education (OR=10.7 and OR=8.6 respectively) have a higher risk of early union than their higher educated counterparts. Furthermore, respondents who married in their early adolescence (OR=38.3) and middle (OR=20.0) adolescence are more at risk of early childbearing than those who married in their emerging adulthood. Moreover, young women from Maniema, Equateur and Bas Congo provinces are 95%, 62% and 58% (respectively) less likely to have had at least four ANC visits than those from Kinshasa. Conclusion: There is an urgent need for formal sex education before first sexual initiation to give better options than early marriage to adolescent girls. Also, the disparities in the antenatal care services utilization between provinces should be addressed. The concerned authorities should balance the distribution of health facilities and qualified personal among provinces.

Virtually all African autocrats now govern with parliaments and organize regular, multiparty elections. They have little choice. Since the end of the Cold War, Western governments have required nominally democratic institutions in exchange for aid, investment, and debt relief. With violent repression impossible to conceal from the international community, life as an autocrat has grown more difficult. Since 1989, autocrats forced to govern with nominally democratic institutions have been 80% more likely to lose power than their counterparts. Between 1986 and 2000, the number of autocracies in Africa fell from 45 to 30. The rate of democratization has slowed, for Africa's autocrats learned to survive democratic institutions. To understand how, this dissertation focuses on the Republic of Congo, ruled by Denis Sassou Nguesso for all but five years since 1979. Using original data on the Congolese elite, their political parties, elections, and the security apparatus, this dissertation finds that Africa's autocrats confront challenges old and new with different constraints. Accordingly, they find different solutions. Whereas autocrats once relied on single parties to prevent elite coups, they now secure compliance with social tools. By redefining the pool of candidates for the regime's critical positions, Africa's autocrats employ a "politics of hope," which induces loyalty when elites are excluded from the regime. To monitor appointees, Africa's contemporary autocrats create social institutions, in which new recruits interact with trusted aides. Autocrats supplement these with parallel governments, which force elites separated by cleavages to compete against each other. When Africa's autocrats deploy these monitoring devices effectively, they forgo arbitrary purges in favor of tenure policies that reward competence. The international community's insistence on elections creates "focal moments," when citizens sense their shared discontent. Since they believe international attention will shield them from repression, opposition leaders mobilize unrest. This institutional landscape compels autocrats to fashion electoral alliances with opposition leaders. By joining the regime they once impugned, opposition leaders sacrifice public credibility for ministerial perquisites. Popular goodwill constitutes an insurance policy, and so Africa's autocrats commission surrogates to generate it. With repression less credible, autocrats construct their security apparatuses to threaten violence without provoking it. / Government

In this study, a legal analysis is presented of the responsibility of the RPA,1 FDLR,2and FAZ3 for military operations conducted by them during the two Congo Wars (Congo War I and II) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.4 In particular, an enquiry will be undertaken into the lawfulness of the killing of Rwandan refugees during these military operations. This will be achieved by looking at the requisite International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law governing the protection of refugees in relation to the conduct of hostilities. Specific emphasis will be placed on the prevailing facts and circumstances relevant to the killing of refugees during the wars, and evidence provided by key witnesses will be relied upon to shed light on the situation on the ground. The study will examine the legal implications of the actions of the parties involved. It will look at who should be held accountable for the violations of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in relation to the killing of refugees. Finally, certain recommendations will be made to address the deficiencies in the law in relation to the protection of civilian, especially refugees during armed conflict. Copyright / Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Mercantile Law / 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

Mining companies operating in developing countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have come under increasing public criticism for not only failing to bring benefits to the country in which they operate but for often making the situation even worse through adverse environmental and social impacts. The particular focus of this treatise is the social division that a new mining project can generate between the operating company and the community living on or near to the mine site. In one area in north-eastern DRC, a large multinational mining company, AngloGold Ashanti, plans to develop a gold mine. While there have been no manifest conflicts between the company and the host community, there is evident latent conflict in the form of uncertainty and mistrust between parties. Although the company is engaged in two different models of companycommunity participation, this has either resulted in or failed to prevent tensions between the company and the local community. This research offers an exploration and discussion of the existing models of company-community participation as a conflict management strategy. With reference to relevant research and literature, as well as other available models for company-community participation, this treatise will provide a series of recommendations as to how the existing models could be made more effective in managing conflict.