The purpose of this paper was to examine if UN (United Nations) peacekeeping operations an be used as a tool to promote great powers own interests and enable power maximization for states in the international system. In other words, if great powers really cooperate with each other to promote peace or if they only seek to maximize their own power position. Based on the assumption that the state’s own interests benefit from its commitment to the UN and that it ultimately can increase the state’spower position, it becomes thus important to identify a state’sown interests to contribute to an explanation of how states act within international institutions. The case of China and its actions in African countries through the UN peacekeeping operations MONUSCO and UNMIS are evaluated, to verify if China applies to 4 of the 5 assumptions raised in John Mearsheimer’s theory of offensive realism. This, to illustrate how states attempt to use economic, military and multilateral means to increase their power position in the international system. The conclusion of the analysis is that 3 (possibly 4) of Mearsheimer’s assumptions are encountered by China’s actions. After demonstrating that China applies to some of theas sumptions of offensive realism, this study suggests further research concerning the connection between great powers pursuit of power and its commitment to UN peacekeeping operations.

This is a systematic and critical study of the mission of the Kimbanguist Church in the city of Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The research question was: “How do the Kimbanguist members interpret and express the Christian message in and for the context of Katanga province through their communal life, worship and mission?” A historical chapter traces the origins and growth of the church, followed by four chapters that analyze the mission of the church by means of a ‘praxis cycle.’ The chapters look at mission strategies (leadership, church departments, mission methods), followed by mission agents (spiritual head, clergy, chaplains, women, youth), the theological sources of mission (the Bible, the life of Simon Kimbangu, and a code of conduct) and spirituality (liturgy, sacraments, pilgrimages and festivals). In a concluding chapter several critical issues were identified for critical dialogue between the Kimbanguist church and other African churches. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

Thesis (M. A. (International Politics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / South Africa’s foreign policy towards the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, particularly during Thabo Mbeki’s tenure, has received substantial scholarly attention. Similarly, South Africa’s domestic political arena has been a subject of significant scholarly inquiry during Jacob Zuma’s tenure. Understandably, when one considers the domestic scandals that clouded Zuma’s presidency, the foreign policy of the Zuma administration, specifically towards the SADC region, has received underwhelming scholarly attention. Therefore, the present study is a contribution to the limited available studies on the Zuma administration’s foreign policy towards the SADC region. Noting the importance of the DRC in SADC region international relations, the DRC is used as a case study. The DRC’s experience of a seemingly ceaseless or recurrent conflict makes it a suitable case for the assessment of the Zuma administration’s foreign policy. This is because it would be difficult for a South Africa that is largely viewed as the SADC region’s regional leader to remain indifferent while a fellow SADC member state experiences continuous instability. To achieve its objectives, the study employed document review as a data collection method. The study found that South Africa under Zuma prioritised economic diplomacy. As such, it actively participated in the neutralisation, through military means, of rebel groups in the DRC. It would not be farfetched to submit that this was an attempt to create an environment that is more conducive to economic activity in the DRC so as to improve economic relations between the two countries. Keywords: South Africa, SADC, Foreign Policy, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zuma, Afrocentricity, Southern Africa.

Despite being free from colonialism for decades, the country continues to experience political instability and a lack of democracy. There is a knowledge gap when it comes to understanding democracy in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the challenges the country faces in establishing and maintaining a functioning democratic government. The purpose of this essay is to examine the political and social situation prevailing in the DRC in light of the challenges to sustaining and establishing a functioning democracy. Through a democratic and institutional perspective, the study will investigate the current situation in the country and how the established institutions impact its democratic development. The study is limited to the Democratic Republic of Congo (also abbreviated as DR Congo or Congo Kinshasa) and will be referred to as Congo in this essay. This limitation is due to the existence of two countries with similar history and destiny. The study is confined to the Democratic Republic of Congo (also abbreviated as DR Congo or Congo Kinshasa) and will be referred to as Congo in this essay. To achieve this purpose, previous research and reports from Freedom House will serve as the primary empirical material, supported by research from Amnesty International and previous studies in the field. The choice of Freedom House as a source is due to the organization's focus on states' situations and their degree of freedom and rights. In conclusion, the analysis of the political situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) reveals a discrepancy between the fundamental principles of the country's constitution and the actual practice. Despite the constitution establishing principles such as decentralized power, citizen participation, and protection of political rights, research from organizations like Freedom House and Amnesty International has shown that these principles are not upheld in practice.

Master of Agribusiness / Agricultural Economics / Vincent R. Amanor-Boadu / The rapidly changing economic environment in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) offers significant opportunities for businesses. The food and agribusiness sector is one of the major opportunities for growth given that increasing incomes are going to enhance the food and nutrition security needs of an increasing segment of the population. Animal protein in the form of chicken meat and eggs are relatively inexpensive and offer an opportunity for entry and differentiation in a markets located in DR Congo’s largest cities of Kinshasa and Kananga. This thesis uses the case of Z-CO Farm in DR Congo to explore the strategic opportunities for small-scale egg production in a low-income but growing country. Having been in operation for a number of years, Z-CO Farms has been producing chicken eggs for the general consumer market. This thesis explores the opportunity to differentiate the market that Z-CO Farms targets with the view to enhance its competitiveness, expand the market boundaries and create new value for customers that produce significant rewards. The off-take for the project is the creation of Blue Ocean markets for chicken eggs in a market that is increasingly exposed to food safety risks by assuring consumers a safe product. This project, when implemented, would be the first in DR Congo. However, would it be profitable? Under what conditions would it be profitable? We employ three primary methods to answer the foregoing questions. First, we evaluate the literature and the available secondary data. Second, we use an economic and financial model to develop the foundation for conducting the analyses for assessing the feasibility of building a small-scale table egg production system to address the emerging higher income consumers in DR Congo. We draw on the blue ocean strategy eloquently presented by Kim and Mauborgne for insight and guidance in building a unique product and service offering for the identified markets in Kinshasa and Kananga. We assess four strategies: the base scenario of the current market conditions where Z-CO maintains its commodity red ocean engagement in the market; innovating its feeding program for the birds; pursuing a market segmentation program whereby it offers high value food safety value proposition to the middle and upper-middle class of consumers; and a combination of a feed innovation and market segmentation initiative. The results show that while the first two strategies returned a positive net present value (NPV) in Kananga, they failed in Kinshasa. This is because of the level of competition in Kinshasa compared to Kananga as well as the cost of operations in the two locations. The results also show that while the remaining two strategies were profitable in both markets, they offered higher NPV and internal rates of return in Kananga than in Kinshasa. The best outcome in operating in both cities involved the fourth strategy, producing a combined NPV of about $493,867. The principal driver for this superior performance in Kananga is cost of feed. There is, therefore, value in thinking about how to leverage this cost advantage in Kananga to enhance the profitability in Kinshasa because of the population and income advantage in the latter. The study provides insights for the management of Z-CO to pursue their future investment planning and in selecting the locations and size of their operations to maximize their NPV and IRR. It also identifies the principal sources of risks that Z-CO’s management must avoid or effectively manage to achieve their desired business outcomes.

The contribution of the Church to the reconstruction of a nation is the primary reason for the present study. The paradox image that the Democratic Republic of Congo presents deserves particular attention. With more than 80% of DRC population being Christians, this study strives to examine the current Christian religious discourse in the DRC and to see in what way this discourse can be ameliorated in order to play properly the role of facilitating a positive transformation of this country. Notwithstanding I have been alienated from the country for some years now, the study analyzes the current situation on the ground on the basis of the data available, and makes some recommendations in order for the situation in the DRC to be ameliorated. This study thus urges a reconstructive Christian religious discourse in the hope of changing the nation’s mentality in order to reconstruct this beautiful Country. / New Testament / M. Div. (New Testament)

Armed conflict and violence against civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has persisted for years starting in the 1990s. The Eastern, Western and North-Eastern parts of the country have seen the presence of a multiplicity of armed groups that have caused an escalation of the humanitarian crisis. The United Nations, in the interest of civilian protection, peacekeeping and security sector reform in the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared a mission under The United Nations Organisational Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC). In spite of this mission, civilians continued in the Congo to suffer attacks and to endure human rights abuses by the armed militants that are fighting government and the government forces in shape of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC). This study examines the problematique of the mandate of MONUC in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in light of the challenges that have made its success debatable. The success of MONUC has become debatable in light of the fact that in spite of its presence and implementation in the DRC, between 2007 and 2010, conflict and the violence against civilians escalated to unprecedented levels. This study examines the causalities of the failure and observes its effect while making propositions towards amelioration of the challenges and the failure of the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. / Political Sciences / M.A. (International Politics)

This study investigated the perceptions of election stakeholders with regard to the management of the 2011 electoral processes in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The involvement of civil society organizations, electoral experts and academia, including party agents as domestic observers and stakeholders in Congolese electoral processes, is crucial as they help electoral and participatory democracy to take root in the DRC. This study was underpinned by political trust, political support and neopatrimonial theories. Furthermore, a mixed methods research design was used in order to understand the perceptions of stakeholders on the management of the 2011 electoral processes in the DRC. The findings of the study showed that stakeholders‟ perceptions on the management of the 2011 electoral processes in the DRC were driven by both internal and external factors pertaining to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that have the potential to affect the electoral processes as well as the level of trust in the INEC and other institutions involved in the electoral processes. / Political Sciences / M.A. (Politics)

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Science, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. February 2015. / This study examines the practice of environmental impact assessments (EIAs) by South African mining transnational companies (TNCs) operating some mining projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It analyses whether and how South African mining TNCs carry out EIAs for their mining projects in the DRC, especially whether they follow (1) the DRC EIA policies, (2) the South African EIAs policies (3) international EIA policies, or (4) internal company policies. It also examines what motivates the companies to follow any of the policy path, by assessing whether financial or policy regimes evaluations motivates the TNCs to follow the certain path. Through the case studies of AngloGold Ashanti and Metorex (Pty) Limited, the study demonstrates the complexity involved in making decisions on choosing a policy path to follow which confronts TNCs. The conclusion we draw from this study is that TNCs do not follow a single policy path in carrying out EIAs but integrate a number of policies and standards and the integration of various policies and standards demands highly qualified and well trained staff as well as availability of an enabling scientific and research infrastructure within the host country.

Hovedopgave. / Format: PDF. Bibl.