Roadside vendors urge Juba County commission to relocate them to markets

Many roadside traders in Juba are reacting to the ban by Juba Country government stopping people from selling along roadsides.

The traders, most of whom women say they have nowhere to go amid economic difficulties.

Hadia Hassan a mother of seven children said “Water is five thousand South Sudan pounds, where will I get the money to drink water, how will children survive, how will I pay school fees.?”

Hadia’s plight is similar to many who sell commodities along Juba streets and Kuburi Aboba.

Many of them are small scale business people who cannot afford to rent shops.

They normally find any spot along the roadsides and display their goods for sale.

Veronica is a trader who fled violence in Sudan last year, she is now selling groundnut paste/peanut butter along the road side to take care of her children but she is now being told to leave the place.

“It’s war that chased me from Sudan, this is my home, I have no job, this is the only source of income I have, how will survive now?” Asked Veronica.

Juba County commissioner has announced a total ban on selling of commodities along the roads in Juba.

He says the practice is contributing to accidents and that many of those who sell goods along the roadsides don’t pay taxes.

Many of the traders we talked to are urging the government to relocate them to markets where they can continue with business.