Allies are not automatically also personal friends

Goma, in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, is now a relatively safe town but in 2009 it was said to frequently be an area in turmoil, especially as it was close to the Rwandan border where bands of armed rebels had terrorized the inhabitants for years.

- Tessa-Anne de Villiers

The southern edge of Goma Airport became the final resting place of former president General Joseph-Désiré Mobutu Sese Seko’s DC-3, a present to Mobutu from US president John F. Kennedy – one that started out as a small jet that became a DC-3! Therein lies a story.

Having gained control over the Congo after a coup d’état in 1961, Mobutu set about entrenching his position and expelled all Soviet advisers, gaining the dubious status as being “The Great Defender of Western Values on the Dark Continent”.

In the USA, Kennedy and his staff must have had doubts about Mobutu’s idea of democracy but as he had sent the Soviets packing and the western world was not happy about the Soviets attempts to expand their influence into Africa, allowances were made. For the sake of good relations, a meeting was arranged between JFK and Mobutu in early 1963 in Washington and according to good customs and traditions, the General was offered a gift from the President of the USA, in order to underline the enduring relations between the two nations.

Wanted: One small jet

Mobutu’s idea of a suitable gift was a small jet as he wanted a personal aircraft for travelling the immense distances of the Congo in comfort and with some speed. His anger and disappointment must have been immense when, instead of a sleek brand new jet, there arrived an 18-year-old DC-3!