ZAIRE: QUESTION OF LEADERSHIP HANGS IN THE BALANCE

(18 Nov 1996) French/Nat

The question of leadership in Zaire hangs in the balance as the crisis along its border with Rwanda continues and causes increased political instability.

Despite repeated assurances that President Mobutu Sese Seko will return to Zaire from his villa in France, Switzerland announced Monday that it would not grant the ailing President a visa to return for further cancer treatment.

APTV has spoken to Mobutu Kongulu Ndoli, one of the President's sons and a prominent businessman in Kinshasa about the situation in Zaire.

He claims his father is the country's best bet for stability.

Mobutu Kongulu Ndoli is no ordinary Zairean.

Whenever the 26-year-old leaves his business or his villa a host of guards follow his every move.

It's not so much because of what he does but because of who he is -- Mobutu Kongulu Ndoli is the son of Zaire's president Mobutu Sese Seko.

Mobutu's son believes his father can once again weather another crisis as Head of State.

But it may be Mobutu senior's health that determines whether -- and when -- he returns to this rudderless country. Switzerland Monday turned down a visa request for Mobutu to return to the country for further cancer treatment -- a sign that the President may not be recovering as quickly as he had hoped.

His son claims he has little idea of when his father will be back.

The continuing question mark over Mobutu's health is adding to the chaos that has seized this Central African country.

It is unclear who is in charge of the Zairean troops who have been fighting a Tutsi insurgency in the east of the country -- and the population is becoming increasingly disenchanted.

Over the past few weeks, angry students have taken to the streets of the capital Kinshasa, demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister Leon Kengo wa Donda.

Mobutu Kongulu says he often invites students to his home to discuss how they would like to see the Zaire of tomorrow.

But he remains a committed supporter of his father.

SOUNDBITE: (French)
"President Mobutu reunified Zaire. In the past we have had numerous invasions of war. But in my opinion , in my heart he represents one of the solutions for stability in the region."
SUPER CAPTION: Mobutu Kongulu Ndoli - son of president

He thinks political stability is the answer to most of Zaire's troubles.

SOUNDBITE: (French)
"I think that for me life must mean stability. When in the morning you can wake up, walk through the streets without problems and not encounter trouble. Peace is one of the best things we can have in life."
SUPER CAPTION: Mobutu Kongulu Ndoli - son of president

But political stability is not the only concern of Zaire's students.

Another, more immediate, concern is whether the state will continue to pay its college professors.

At the moment the wages have stopped and, as a result, many are staying away from college.

Mobutu Kongulu Ndoli claims this is a problem that he would dearly love to address.

However, there are critics of Zaire's President who feel that it is Mobutu Kongulu's father himself who has contributed to the poverty that is grinding much of Zaire's infrastructure to a halt.

The President has been accused of having salted away much of the country's wealth into foreign bank accounts. There is certainly no
sign of frugality in the luxurious French villa in Nice that Mobutu is staying in while he is convalescing.

But despite the evident disparity between the richest of Zaire's political elite and the rest of the country, even Mobutu's political enemies say his death would only increase the chaos.





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