Juba city council orders vendors off the streets

Juba City Council authorities have ordered vendors to vacate the streets citing security threats and accidents.

Michael Lado Thomas Allah-Jabu, Mayor of Juba City Council on Wednesday issued a local order banning street vendors from selling within the streets of Juba city.

“This local order is issued to restrict and ban the sale of fruits, chicken, petrol, diesel, and other fuel products, clothing by hawkers and any other unauthorized business activity along main roads within Juba City Council,” Allah-Jabu noted in his order.

 The ban affects thousands of vendors who sell along the roads because they cannot afford rent fees in permanent or temporary shops. Some of these vendors are stationed in front of shops, because some business owners prefer to rely on them to make quick sales due to competition.

 Allah-Jabu, said any vendor who violates this order shall be apprehended and fined SSP 50,000 and as well as city authorities confiscating merchandise.

“Any found in the process of transacting petty business from one location to another, or along the main tarmac and murram roads within Juba City Council, shall be apprehended and fined SSP 50,000 and confiscation of property,” the mayor said.

Allah-Jabu said hawkers will be imprisoned for a term not exceeding two weeks or fined SSP 25,000 if apprehended.

“Hawkers or mobile petty handlers involved in this unauthorized location shall be fined SSP 25,000 South Sudanese pounds or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two weeks or both,” he said

Allah-Jabu also warned business owners who hire hawkers to conduct such businesses on their behalf along, saying they would be fined SSP 200,000 or see their shops closed for two weeks.

Previous Juba city mayors also came up with similar measures aimed at decongesting busy lanes, but they never succeeded as droves of vendors returned on the streets.