Kivu News 24 reported spotting the first Tesla cyber truck in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in the capital of Kinshasa. Joël Bakonga, son of former state minister Willy Bakonga—both of whom are convicts—apparently owns the electric truck.
This viral video sparked angry reactions among Congolese, who see Bakonga’s alleged purchase as evidence of the elite’s alienation from the three-decade-long, Western-backed conflict that has displaced more than 7 million people in the country’s mineral-rich east. The electric-powered truck, depending on trim options, costs between $79,990 and $99,990.
The sad irony is the battery powering Bakonga’s flashy new toy may have been manufactured using Congo’s ‘conflict minerals,’ like cobalt, which desperately poor Congolese mine under horrific conditions.
According to Medafrica Times, the senior Bakonga was sentenced in 2021 to three years in prison for money laundering and illegal transfer of capital abroad. In the same case, a court convicted the younger Bakonga to six months in prison. When authorities arrested the father and son in Brazzaville on a Paris-bound plane, they reportedly found $30,000 on the duo before extraditing them to Kinshasa. However, a presidential pardon released both men after seven months.
The Bakongas’ case showcases the stark contrast between the opulent lifestyles of the DRC elite and the harsh realities the majority of its citizens face. According to the World Bank, an estimated 73.5 per cent of Congolese live on less than $2.15 per day. A small group of well-connected people collaborating with foreign interests is siphoning off Congo’s estimated $24 trillion in mineral reserves.
While rich politicians in Kinshasa enjoy lavish parties, complete with imported champagne and gourmet food, their soldiers in the war-torn eastern provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu have retreated in the face of lightning advances by the Rwanda- and Uganda-backed M23 militia, partly due to a lack of modern arms and low pay.
Video credits: @congomood.cd / @peoplecd243 (IG) / @kivunews24 (X)
Sources
https://x.com/kivunews24/status/1896521299209699495
https://www.caranddriver.com/tesla/cybertruck
https://www.tesla.com/cybertruck
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBirsuDxrU0
https://www.instagram.com/joebak7?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
https://medafricatimes.com/tag/joel-bakonga
https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/drc/overview
https://www.dw.com/en/mapped-out-why-isnt-the-dr-congo-the-worlds-richest-country/video-70620354