By William Madouk
Traders evicted from Juba Market in 2023 to facilitate the construction of Juba Mall are voicing frustrations over Juba City Council’s failure to provide the compensation that was initially promised.
The vendors were assured by the City Council that they would receive financial support of about $200 as they vacated their stalls to make way for the new development.
However, months after their eviction, the promises remain unfulfilled, leaving traders struggling to make ends meet.
Christine Ruben, a vegetable seller, is one of the over 300 traders who have yet to receive any compensation since they were forced to vacate their stalls.
Ms Christine said most of them have not lost their businesses and others quit due to the deception by the council.
“You see young girls balancing goods atop their heads; they were evicted from Juba Market,” says Ms. Christine Ruben.
According to the trader, the JCC assured that they would receive compensation of $200 each and that they would be allowed to return once the mall was completed.
However, these assurances have proven to be empty, according to Christine.
“Relinquishing our places have affected most of us, now some traders have lost their capital and quit business,” said Ms. Christine during a visit to construction site yesterday.
To her, despite the City Council authority’s assurance to recompense, none of the traders got a pound.
“We’ve been telling our representatives: if you get the money, give us our share. “They told me – my mother that we had not received the money, and it is true that we were not paid even a pound to buy airtime,” she insisted.
Another former fruit & vegetables seller at Juba Market Ms. Magdalene Namisa explained “i started working in this market in 2006 and it was later on demolished in 2008 and the place was given to someone else who sealed off the place and nothing materialized.”
She stated that they were forcibly evicted in 2015, leading her to shift her company to the street, and again in 2023 to make way for the development of a contemporary market.
“We questioned, now that you plan to develop the mall, where would we stay as traders? Mayor [Allah-Jabu] promised to find a place for us, and they did, but they were unable to find one,” Namisa stated.
She added that the former deputy mayor also assured them that the said mall would be for traders.
The traders waved a red flag about a secret alteration in the mall construction design, claiming that FAO and the contractor planned to shift from the initial G plus 3 story to G plus 1, and corruption.
“However, after a short period we start seeing that the sign post was removed and we start asking –with new changes will this place accommodate us,” she said.
“We very tried trading in dusty streets, we are just hustling and the business is not growing it keeps on declining – during the rainy season it is really very bad for street vendors the maize floor and sugar are mostly spoiled by rain water and also things are dusted by dust,” he said.
The former mayor of Juba City, Mr. Michael Allah-Jabu Ladu, declared in February 2022 that his office secured $4 million from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) through the African Development Bank.
According to FAO’s head of engineering, Ms Haya Bashier, the project, which began on November 16, 2023, was due to be completed in November last year.
She noted that Infinity Development Construction Company later placed construction on hold owing to a land issue but restarted operations 91 days later, with completion planned for August 2025.
The traders asked the Juba City Council and FAO to pay their compensation money.
In a letter dated June14, 2023 written by former Mayor, Micheal Lado Allah-Jabu and addressed to FAO Representative in South Sudan, Allah-Jabu asked a sum of $201,600 as compensation for local traders.
Each trader was supposed to receive $200 each for a period of six months as rental fees for their shops at construction times.
Meanwhile, the chairperson of Juba Block and head of Juba market trader accused government’s high profile at Juba City Council of being plundering the amount in question.
However, No.1 Citizen could establish whether the said amount has been paid by UNFAO or not yet.
That prompted the Chairperson of Central Equatoria State Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, Robert Pita Francis to inspect the mall construction site, which is still at the basement level.
“We ask for a letter of commitment from FAO and Juba City Council. That, after the completion of this project, this place will be handed back to the people who are doing business here,” said Pitia.
Mr. Pitia explained that they raised concerns about the project’s design, which includes a G+3 building and a basement valued at $6 million.
“So, unfortunately, this year we came and realized that the project has been changed to G plus 1 and investment. And we are asking questions, if there’s any changes, why are they not involving us? Because from the beginning they involved us,” he said.
According to FAO, the mall would be the first ever modern public market with space for agricultural products in South Sudan.
Meshack Malo, FAO Representative in South Sudan, said earlier that the modern market will be operational within one and half years, hoping to reduce the cost of renting for small-scale businesses.
He stated that many traders pay higher rent, making them increase price in the market due to lack of facilities for the business personnel.