Dear StumpTo answer your questions regarding the railway line....

Dear Stump

To answer your questions regarding the railway line. That line I think is completely useless by the time it gets to Kolwezi judging from the wrecks all across the line!

The line is quite sound from Kipoi to Lubumbashi which is really as far as Tiger needs to get it. Most contracts with Chinese in DRC are struck at the gate, so transport is thier headache anyway.

Typical shipment routes from DRC are through Zambia to SA then across the indian ocean. Goods dont go West.

Getting a visa is Ok if you get an invite. If you just rock up expect a long and close inspection by immigration if not a trip to the local lock up.

Govt is like most African govts could not be deemed stable by Australian standards, but Joseph Kabila seems to have a hand on things. Things though are unstable in the North East where Tutsi/Hutu issue continues to reflect in open guerilla warfare. The fighting is in fact all about securing tantalite,(and to certain extent gold & now oil) and neighbours (uganda/Burundi/Rwanda) trying to re write the borders to wit, via proxy fighters (Tutsi/Hutu). This though has little effect down in the copper belt. (Katanga province breifly seceeded in the 1960's)but its whole different place. It would be like comparing an Aboriginal camp in the NT to the city of Perth. They both exist in their relative ignomy and glory, but poor camps in NT dont impact mining decsions in Perth (except where those decisions effect them of course).

I think it highly likely Tiger will be taken over once they are in an inch of coommissioning the HMS plant.

Anvil maybe for feed stock for their EW plant -but they are sitting on heaps anyway. Chinese are a good chance as well.

goto run

cheers