Street vendors back in full force in Juba, despite Government order to stay home

By Charles Lotara

Businesspeople who sell non-essential commodities like second-hand clothes are back on Juba’s crowded streets in full force despite the indefinite partial lockdown imposed by the government.

Custom and Konyo Markets, which had been without the vendors in early days of the lockdown have are to back to the bustle and hustle they are associated with.

Selling clothes was categorised under non-essential businesses, which were ordered to close by the government to fight the novel coronavirus.

A slew of vendors who spoke to the City Review lamented about the losses they are likely to incur if they don’t sell their clothes.

 “We have resumed business because we are afraid of the losses we will incur if we don’t sell them soon,” said Joseph Abiriga, a Ugandan.

“The lockdown is still on and we do not know when the government will suspend it. We cannot wait for that time because we will lose a lot of opportunities,” he added.

Agnes Lino, who is based at Custom Market said she uses the money generated from selling apparel to pay her children’s fees and buy food. That forced her back on the streets to sell her wares.

“The coronavirus has come, yeah. But it is not going to last forever. Soon the government will reopen schools and children will need fees and other educational materials. It needs one to prepare to meet those demands,” she said.

Isaac Mabutu, another second-hand clothes trader said their operation has timeframes within which to succeed or fail.

“It’s a little difficult when you have a plan and a natural disaster hits you. I had planned to place new order by the end of April but it seems unlikely because the lockdown will still be in force. It is making life unbearable,” he lamented.

Selling of second-hand apparel has been deemed controversial in many African countries in time of Covid-19, which spreads from human to human.

Most second-hand clothes South Sudan are imported from neighbouring countries, which are chief importers of those clothes from the United States of America – a hotbed of the coronavirus.

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a draconian that allows Africa to import used clothes from the US remained in place despite some countries challenging it.

Rwanda became the first East African country to pull out of the agreement on the Act that does not allow member countries to question American foreign policy.