Coronavirus in the DRC: a difficult May 1 for confined minors

Text by: RFI Follow

In the DRC, no demonstration is organized following the coronavirus pandemic. In the ex-Katanga region, several mining companies have placed their workers in containment at their workplace. Report on the Comus company website in Kolwezi.

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With our special correspondent in Kolwezi,  Denise Maheho

It is 10 am in Kolwezi. At the Comus company site, the factory runs normally on May 1st. It is therefore not a holiday. The workers have been in total containment for over a month and have signed a three-month contract.

Living conditions are deplorable. The workers spend the night in containers, the sanitary facilities leave something to be desired and the food is not at all good, as one miner testifies: "  Someone who works from morning to night, they bring him as food Boukari and cervelas. Food is really complicated. We have no choice, so we have to force to eat that.  "

Confined until the end of the pandemic

For this other worker, this holiday could be an opportunity to see his family again, but the company does not allow contact with the outside world: “  It is strictly forbidden to see our families. So we don't go out, as the word suggests, we are really confined here, we wait until this pandemic ends.  "

Comus company officials dismiss accusations of the workers' poor living conditions. However, they made their employees sign an act of engagement prohibiting them from communicating about life in the containment site under penalty of sanctions.

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• Ground floor
• Coronavirus
• Confinement