Well done Combaste for your positive comments. It is highly...

Well done Combaste for your positive comments. It is highly unlikely AVZ will walk away with zero.

Felix didn't commission the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC)General Inspectorate of Finance to conduct an investigation and release its report on the management of mining assets in the DRC by La Congolaise d’Exploitation Minière (Cominière)(IGF Report)." for no reason.

The President is acutely aware of the corruption that exists and of the continued activity of the hostile non state actors who are trying to influence the decisions of key authorities in the DRC. He will know who and what interests these non state actors represent and who they are engaging with in the DRC.

The non state actors are desperate to interrupt the confidential discussions with the DRC govt. and continue to unsettle the current regime because they know Court cases are impending and an election is coming (end of year). The non state actors are continually trying to do everything to undermine the negotiations and delay any settlement to bring down the credibility of the current DRC Govt. It is their only hope for the continuance of this form of corruption.

Felix knows the process his Govt. is undertaking and that is why this takes time. His recent appointment of a new Ministry that will lead the Govt. to the next election is excellent timing and sends a clear message the landscape of influence for the continuity of corruption within Govt.is changing for the better, as slow as this is happening. The first 100 days of the new Ministry and their actions that are continuing to uncover corrupt processes will be critical to their success. IMO this activity will have a direct influence on the progress of the current negotiations taking place and the award of the Mining Licence, hopefully before the first court case begins.

If the legal cases proceed any outcomes will most likely be immediately be reflected in the DRC’s President’s decision to award the ML.

Our Company should be concerned that the continued activity of the hostile non-state actors may influence the decisions of the key authorities in DRC. Decision time is imminent. However, the future of the DRC in the eyes of attracting Western investment and support particularly from the USA is why the DRC is following proper process to ensure the laws of the Land are upheld in the interests of the DRC and its people. The world is watching with strong interest how this plays out. The President and his new Ministry’s survival is dependent on following the process The President has undoubtedly laid out and having competent authorities hand down outcomes that will be accepted by the world.

I don’t see any evidence where the Chinese authorities have had delegation meetings with the DRC President to explain the investment activities they have adopted to show the worth of Manono. What have they articulated to improve the lives of people in the DRC and what are they doing to advance their interests in this World class project?

However, I have read and continue to watch with considerable interest the engagement that AVZ has made with Marius Mihigo and how he is engaging with the DRC President to show how AVZ has followed all applicable laws and has made significant investment in the DRC to confirm the value of Manono and also to outline its plans to advance the interests of the DRC people. IMO this engagement by AVZ has been critical to swinging the pendulum back in favour of AVZ.

Why else would legally privileged information and content of negotiations be slipping out. We all know this MUST be coming from Dathomir and Cominière as they have the most to lose in the negotiation process that precedes their Legal cases on the horizon. IMO Zijin is already defeated and the legal ruling on their activity will soon be released from the jurisdiction on April 20. Any delay caused by Zijin to the legal process is only to delay the inevitable and disrupt the upcoming election campaign. The aim of the Chinese and their Govt. is to ensure unrest is brought into the democratic process. This won’t be allowed to happen by the President and rest assured an outcome on the decision concerning the ML is imminent.

Hence. Our Company is taking extra precautions to ensure its confidential discussions with the DRC Government are not being leaked prior to resolving the prevailing uncertainty with regards to the mining and exploration rights for the Manono Project.

Which leaves the question of why has the ASX asked AVZ for clarity and further information without disclosing what was asked and what the response was from AVZ management. Well imo the simple answer from my investigations is that SHs or wannabe SHs are now writing to ASX looking for answers which they cannot obtain from writing to or contacting AVZ directly. And all along here we are thinking the beseigement was happening from non state actors and corrupt officials in the DRC.

I remain committed to supporting the Management team and all they are doing for us true LTSHs. A little more patience is required until the outcomes start to be revealed later this month.

Wishing an enjoyable and safe Easter Break to All.