Illegally built homes demolished

A MOTHER watched in despair as an excavator demolished her Kinshasa home, part of a campaign to clamp down on unauthorised buildings after deadly floods.

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Flash flooding in the over-crowded megalopolis, which sits on the banks of the mighty Congo River, killed dozens of people early last month.

Authorities have begun demolishing riverside constructions built without permits, where the death toll is often high with each deluge in the vast Democratic Republic of Congo.

“Our homes destroyed, and our belongings stolen, where will we go?” asked Passy, in vain.

“Authorities, have pity on us, why treat us like this?”

Provincial urban development and public works minister Alain Tshilungu came to oversee the demolition in north-western Ngaliema district.