Defiant Bene M’poko Raises the Illegality of Félix Tshisekedi’s Order appointing Fidèle MULAJA BINENE, Ambassador of the DRC to South Africa

In generic terms, senility refers to the deterioration in the state of physical and mental health observed in the elderly, and this is the case of Mr Bene M’poko. At the age of 81, the former Ambassador of the DRC to South Africa, Bene M’poko, who has long since passed the retirement age, is failing to comply with the provisions of the President’s Order.

Since February 15, 2022, the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, His Excellency Félix Tshisekedi Tshilombo, appointed Mr Fidèle Mulaja Binene the new Ambassador of the DRC to South Africa. Having been notified by the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo about his replacement since last year and recalled to the country, the former ambassador Bene M’poko forcefully refuses to comply of the President’s Order provisions. Fidèle Mulaja, newly appointed Ambassador has still not officially taken office. M’poko clings to the chair of Ambassador while the new Ambassador has already landed in Pretoria. How many people throughout history and the world are declared schizophrenic, psychotic, bipolar or even crazy after a diagnosis of their systemic health disorder? Wouldn’t Mr Bene M’poko belong to these categories in view of his randomly hasty actions? DIRCO (Department of International Relations and Cooperation), the South African equivalent of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has repeatedly contacted Mr M’Poko to inform him of his non-recognition by local authorities of his quality of Ambassador and Dean of the Ambassadors Corps; the DRC government having already notified them officially of the change in this regard.

Also, sources reveal that the government of the Republic of South Africa has told Mr Bene M’poko to realese back the diplomatic cards as well as the car diplomatic plates belonging to the Embassy. The deaf ear attitude observed by the former Ambassador finds its rationale in the non-payment of his indemnities and allowances by the government of the DRC. In this case, it is astonishing that the former tenant of premises on No 791 Francis Baard Street, Arcadia, Pretoria, 0007, quotes such a cowardly reason to justify his delusions, the South African government having absolutely no role to play in this pseudo-monetary dispute between Mr Bene M’poko and the DRC, which reinforces the belief that there was no state administration during 18 years of “dictatorial” oligarchy. Mr M’poko’s obedience was towards one individual in the country, J Kabila, and he only obeyed him. His supervisory authority, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, would not request the former ambassador to perform any duty if it is not by Kabila’s order. It is pettiness coupled with contempt and demeaning disrespect towards the authorities and governmental entities of the DRC. However, M’Poko could have applied diplomatic elegance, and send a farewell letter to the authorities of the host country, South Africa, in order to beat testimony to their gratitude which featured in their parsimonious working relations, for more than two decades. Too late to learn the most basic rules of courtesy, especially when the effects of senility go from bad to worse.

Holistically, his hallucinations will get worse over time and Bene M’poko will become more and more aggressive. Kabila disciple to the core, he never believed in regime change, which is why he treats the Head of State’s order as irregular. However, he was kept in this position by the new President for three (3) years. It is degrading that Mpoko prefers to remain as the Ambassador of the DRC to South Africa against the advice of his government, and continue to granting several favours to Joseph Kabila, each time he goes to his opulent residence in Stellenbosch, as well as his cohort of Kikaya Bin Karubi… A revengeful status quo! The only real problem after all these adventures is that despite efforts made by the Congolese and South African States, the outcome is still subject to the stubbornness of Bene M’poko whose cherished maxim is “Before Joseph Kabila is Equal to After Joseph Kabila» – nightmarish shambles!

More than elsewhere, and given a reality that can be considered as offending, the DRC Embassy in South Africa has no chancery. From lease to lease, its coffers were financially drained by rents with an exaggerated propensity, justifying the snub of embezzlement. How is it possible that the Embassy of a country as respectable as the DRC rents the premises located at the above-mentioned address, after 21 years? Worse still, the DRC does not have an official residence for their Ambassador. It is time to identify the destination of income collected for more than 20 years, from various paid services offered by the Embassy, including allowances by the Congolese State, though irregularly. Today, Congolese in South Africa are disappointed; a big gap exists between the Congolese community in South Africa and the DRC Embassy; many Congolese and students lost their jobs while others missed out on their studies. To date, they have never taken possession of their passports to have their work and permits and study visas stampede therein. Monies paid up to U$S 300 per passport were never returned to their owners, the ambassador and his staff monopolized them like the spoils of war. Like a crooked trader who spends both his investing capital and his profit margin, the ambassador “chawed”  both the money and passport. A heartbreaking happenstance, and after having lost everything, the same Congolese are forced to go to Kinshasa, reapplying for their passports, without any subsidy.

In politics, not everything is rosy behind the scenes… Really, it’s not a surprise, even in the absence of proven degenerative dementia, it is obvious that seniors can see their cognitive and motor faculties diminished with the age like Mr Bene M’poko. His gluttony is a great waste for an old man of rare elegance and not very obvious intelligence.

For more than 20 years as Ambassador of the DRC to the RSA, the man managed the chancellery as his own boutique. Not only did he defy the Head of State’s order and undermine his authority as the country’s premier institution, former Ambassador M’poko refused to sign the minutes that sealed the work completed for the handover moment between him and the Chargé d’Affaires, flouting the best rules applicable in this domain. Selective amnesia leads him to confuse his own vehicles with those belonging to the Embassy that he still keeps. He has to return these vehicles. The speed of hospitalizations into the ward formerly occupied by Mwanda Nsemi at the CNPP is staggeringly rapid because of patients number. When is Bene M’poko’s turn?