Juba Mayor defends demolitions, vows to continue

Juba City Mayor Kalisto Lado has said the recent clean-up of road reserves which resulted in the demolition of stalls had no ill intention and it will continue. 

Lado said the exercise was intended to change the face of the city and make it conform to international standards.

The mayor told critics of the exercise, including the aggrieved traders that he was committed to giving the city a facelift. 

“We want our city to look good and safe and we also want to be seen as organized people just like others,” Kalisto told Journalists his Office on Tuesday.  

He blamed the traders and the owners of the stalls who built on the road reserves to desist from the act.

 Must continue

“People are saying the traders are feeding their families from the business. It is good to feed the children but it should be in the right places and in a lawful way. You cannot go and begin selling your commodities in the middle of the road,” he said. 

“…as you care for your business we also care for the roads,” he added.

He said the demolition exercise was continuing because Juba City Council was implementing the city Master Plans to give it a decent look.

The Juba City Council started the demolition exercise in August where hundreds of businesses including roadside hawkers have were forced out of the Gudele One Roundabout. Small-scale businesses such as kiosks, tea, and vegetable vendors were not spared.

The exercise involved the relocation of Gudele One Taxi Park near Lou Clinic to Gudele Central Market located in Block 5.

Mayor Lado said the demolition follows his order for the transfer of the businesses to the Gudele Central Market to avoid traffic jams along Gudele One Roundabout and car accidents that often result from congestion in the area.

His approach elicited complaints from the businesswomen in Juba who protested the oblivious manner in which the exercise was conducted. 

Speaking to The City Review, one of the businesswomen known as Mary Said said Juba City Council should have allocated a new place for them to relocate their shops before bringing down the structures.

Mary added that most women in the county were doing retail businesses to sustain their livelihoods as well as taking children to schools.

She stated it was unfair chasing women out from the roadsides and telling them to go and rent shops inside the market.