Discovered in the 1990s,human remains in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been dated to approximately 90,000 years ago. The first real states,such as the Kongo,the Lunda,the Luba and Kuba,appeared south of the equatorial forest on the savannah from the 14th century onwards.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo,informally Congo-Kinshasa,DR Congo,the DRC,the DROC,or the Congo,and formerly and also colloquially Zaire,is a country in Central Africa. It is bordered to the northwest by the Republic of the Congo,to the north by the Central African Republic,to the northeast by South Sudan,to the east by Uganda,Rwanda,and Burundi,and by Tanzania,to the south and southeast by Zambia,to the southwest by Angola,and to the west by the South Atlantic Ocean and the Cabinda exclave of Angola. By area,it is the second-largest country in Africa and the 11th-largest in the world. With a population of around 108 million,the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most populous officially Francophone country in the world. The national capital and largest city is Kinshasa,which is also the nation's economic center.
Bukavu is a city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),lying at the extreme south-western edge of Lake Kivu,west of Cyangugu in Rwanda,and separated from it by the outlet of the Ruzizi River. It is the capital of the South Kivu province and as of 2012 it had an estimated population of 806,940.
Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini-Zuma,sometimes referred to by her initials NDZ,is a South African politician,medical doctor and former anti-apartheid activist. A longstanding member of the African National Congress (ANC),she currently serves as Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and is the Chancellor of the University of Limpopo.
Étienne Tshisekedi wa Mulumba was a Congolese politician and the leader of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS),the main opposing political party in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). A long-time opposition leader,he served as Prime Minister of the country on three brief occasions:in 1991,1992–1993,and 1997.
The University of Namibia (UNAM) is a multi-campus public research university in Namibia,as well as the largest university in the country. It was established by an act of Parliament on 31 August 1992.
Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo is a politician in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was one of four vice-presidents in the transitional government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 17 July 2003 to December 2006. Bemba also leads the Movement for the Liberation of the Congo (MLC),a rebel group turned political party. He received the second-highest number of votes in the 2006 presidential election. In January 2007 he was elected to the Senate.
Grace Naledi Mandisa Pandor is a South African politician,educator and academic serving as the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation since 2019. She has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the African National Congress (ANC) since 1994.
The Panafrican Youth Union (PYU) is the apex body for National Youth Coordinating Bodies and Mechanism in Africa. Known formerly as the Panafrican Youth Movement (PYM),it was transformed into the PYU at the organisation's 2003 congress in Windhoek,Namibia.
Vital Kamerhe is a Congolese politician who is the chief of staff of President Félix Tshisekedi and leader of the Union for the Congolese Nation (UNC) opposition party. Previously he was the President of the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2006 to 2009. After resigning from that office,he went into the opposition and founded the UNC. Kamerhe was a candidate in the 2011 presidential election. In 2018 Kamerhe supported Félix Tshisekedi for president and was made his chief of staff after the election.
Matsie Angelina "Angie" Motshekga is a South African politician and educator,serving as the Minister of Basic Education since May 2009. She was also appointed as an acting president of the Republic of South Africa on 2 July 2021,as President Cyril Ramaphosa attended the state funeral of Kenneth Kaunda in Zambia. She was previously a Member of the Executive Council in the Gauteng provincial government. Motshekga is a member of the African National Congress. She is a former president of the party's women's league.
Susan Shabangu is a South African politician who has been a member of parliament representing the African National Congress since May 1994. She previously held the position of Minister of Social Development. Prior to that,she served as the inaugural Minister of Women in the Presidency,created by President Jacob Zuma in May 2014. She was the Minister of Mineral Resources from 2009 to 2014.
Maite Emily Nkoana-Mashabane is a South African politician who is the Minister of Women,Youth and Persons with Disabilities. She was Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform from 2018 to 2019,and previously served as Minister of International Relations and Cooperation from 2009 to 2018. Nkoana-Mashabane is also a member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress (ANC).
Bathabile Olive Dlamini,the leader of the African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) and a member of the ANC National Executive Committee. She was previously the Minister of Women in the Presidency,and Minister of Social Development.
General elections were held in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 30 December 2018,to determine a successor to President Joseph Kabila,as well as for the 500 seats of the National Assembly and the 715 elected seats of the 26 provincial assemblies. Félix Tshisekedi (UDPS) won with 38.6% of the vote,defeating another opposition candidate,Martin Fayulu,and Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary,backed by the ruling party PPRD. Fayulu alleged that the vote was rigged against him in a deal made by Tshisekedi and outgoing President Kabila,challenging the result in the DRC's Constitutional Court. Different election observers,including those from the country's Roman Catholic Church,also cast doubt on the official result. Nonetheless on 20 January the Court rejected his appeal and declared Tshisekedi as the winner. Parties supporting President Kabila won the majority of seats in the National Assembly. Félix Tshisekedi was sworn in as the 5th President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 24 January 2019,making it the first peaceful transition of power in the country since it became independent from Belgium in 1960.
Clive Khulubuse Zuma is a South African businessman,and the nephew of the former President,Jacob Zuma.
The 54th National Conference of the African National Congress (ANC) took place from 16 to 20 December 2017 at the Johannesburg Expo Centre in Nasrec,Gauteng. At the conference,the ANC elected its National Executive Committee (NEC) and other top internal leaders. Often referred to as the Nasrec Conference,it was held during the centenary of the birth of former ANC President Oliver Tambo and was convened under the theme,"Remember Tambo:Towards Unity,Renewal and Radical Socioeconomic Transformation."
Léonard She Okitundu Lundula is a Congolese diplomat who has served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and one of the Vice Prime Ministers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo since December 2016 until March 2019. He has formerly held a number of other government offices in the DRC and Zaïre,being the Foreign Minister before (2000–2003),a Senator,and also chief of staff of President Joseph Kabila's administration.
Julienne Lusenge is a Congolese human rights activist recognized for advocating for survivors of wartime sexual violence. She is co-founder and President of Female Solidarity for Integrated Peace and Development (SOFEPADI) and director of the Congolese Women's Fund (FFC). She is the recipient of the 2018 Women’s International Rights Award from the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy and the 2016 Ginetta Sagan Award from Amnesty International. She received the Human Rights Award from the Embassy of France and named a Knight of the Legion of Honour by the French Government. She was awarded an International Women of Courage Award in 2021. On October 10,2021,she was awarded the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity,at the Armenian Monastery on the island of San Lazzaro in Venice,Italy.
Lugi Gizenga was a Congolese politician and leader in the Unified Lumumbist Party. He was an advisor in charge of investments and partnerships with Martin Kabwelulu,the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Minister of Mines.
