As the Democratic Republic of the Congo struggles to assert control over vital minerals such as copper and cobalt, infrastructure and investment — not to mention foreign influence — are increasingly crucial questions. The DRC's copper belt is in the Katanga region, along its southern border with Zambia. Though Katanga's transport infrastructure is more developed than in many other parts of the DRC, the region is separated from the capital, Kinshasa, by nearly 1,000 miles of rainforest. Consequently, Katanga's economy is oriented toward the south — and commercial ports such as Durban. South Africa, itself a mining power, has been instrumental in building roads and other infrastructure connecting Pretoria to the transit town of Kasumbalesa in the DRC.
