It might come as a surprise but yes it’s true. Local authorities in the Bas Congo province south of Kinshasa in the DRC want to put an end the practice of young couple who opt to stay in their family homes long after they are married. They vow to enforce fully the measure preventing couples to stay under their parent’s roofs.
Talking to the press, some local authorities have argued that the practice encourages immorality, causes conflict among many negative factors. This really sound like a good lesson of moral and decency but is it really feasible in a country where more than the three quarter of the youth population is unemployed who can really enforce such a law and expect success out of it?
Though the majority of the Congolese population is unemployed, the government isn’t able to pay adequately those on its pay roll. Those trying a hand in the informal sector are taxed as if they were the only source of revenue for the country.
The biggest employer in the country, the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) is already being pushed by the government to exit the country. Majority of the professional population works for either UN or other Aid agencies.
The cost of life is also another headache. Just this month, the cost of electricity quadrupled for unknown reasons. The cost of studies in local universities has also doubled. That’s why student’s from the University of Lubumbashi took to the streets yesterday to show their disapproval on the way the government is conducting business.
Once an affordable business in the country, accommodation has become a headache for the common citizen. To be able to secure a house in big cities, one is asked to pay six months of rent in advance. All hell broke loose since 2006. Ever since, everything is going high but not the salaries. How for God’s Sake are we asking young couples to vacate their parents’ homes?
HAPAMEDIA |
