Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Juba City Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture has called on the authorities to demolish brothels and areas popularized by sex workers in the City which had turned out to be dens of criminals.
Talking tothe Press on Monday, Stephen Wani Aquilino the Chairperson of Juba City Chambersingled out Jebel area as one of the most notorious places being populated byprostitutes and the gangs who appear to be behind looting and breaking of shopsin the market.
The callcame in the heels of Mayor of Juba City Council Kalisto Ladu’s order anddirectives to landlords to shun from turning residentials to commercials areasfor building hotels lodges and clubs where prostitutes and gangs planned theircriminal activities.
“Theresidentials areas are meant for residency, therefore they are meant for peopleto build their houses and reside with their families in the houses, so turningthem into commercial use is by itself not allowed” Kalisto said.
“Nobodyshould just think of constructing hotel or a lodge anywhere he or she wantedwithout the approval from Juba City Council” he added
“Juba CityCouncil is responsible for all the commercial activities and therefore everyhotel owner should make sure that he or she come to the Council for approvalfor any activity that he or she wanted to do especially turning residential intocommercial areas” he explained.
Kalisto alsothreatened to closed those hotels whose owners allow underage and gangs toenter their premises. According tothe chamber boss the move to immediately demolish clubs and prostitutioncenters in Jebel market was meant to clear all brothels and those areas thatharbored robbers who break into shops at night in the market.
This concerncame in when a group of burglars broke into seven shops at Jebel Market onSunday and went away with assets and unconfirmed cash worth millions of SouthSudanese Pounds.
He urged theMayor to immediately crack down all the clubs and prostitution centers in Jebelmarket in order to reduce level of crime in the area. “I appeal toJuba City Council to demolish all the prostitution places; they are the hideoutfor the thieves and gangs who usually break shops and do bad things in Jebel”Wani said.
“My messageto Juba City Council is that security is the responsibility of governmentandfor the security to be ok in jebel there should be good policies” he added.
He revealedthat the Chamber of Commerce had no soldiers to protect the business men andwomen but only the National government that had the responsibility to protectthe businesses.
He explainedthat several cases of theft and robbery had been reported in Jebel market and suspectedthose activities to be done by wrong elements who hide themselves at the clubsand the prostitution centers in Jebel.
He stressedthat the Chamber in collaboration with business community had been trying theirbest to provide the necessary protective gears to the police(security) liketorches, gumboots, rain coat among others to ease work for them.
“We expectthe government to provide necessary protection to the business people and theirproperties” he mentioned.
He urged allthe business people not to sleep in the market citing that the move wouldinterferewith the work of the security who were deployed in the market.
He cautionedall traders to be concernedwith security of their shops and construct theirshops in the way that if thieves attempted, could noteasily access theproperties.
For More News And Analysis About South-Sudan Follow Africa-Press
