By Nhial T. Tutlam*
(Gurtong posted)- Although it was the seat of what was then known as the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) and the capital city-in-waiting of what would become the Republic of South Sudan (RSS), when I first visited Juba in June of 2007, the city was in a pathetic state. The first thing one noticed on arrival was how neglected and dirty the airport was. Everything was in disarray and there did not seem to be anyone in charge to ensure smooth operations of this important gateway to the country, yet there were many people, apparently airport employees, standing around doing nothing.
Stepping out of the airport, the roads were in terrible shape, with just a few patches of paved portions here and there. Dilapidated buildings were a common feature of the landscape and important government ministries were still housed in prefab buildings. The few available healthcare facilities and schools were in shambles and grossly understaffed. Decent social amenities were virtually non-existent. Hotels, mostly tents and containers converted to hotel rooms, charged exorbitant sums for their services. Garbage, especially empty plastic water bottles—because many people relied on bottled water since there was no running (tap water) in almost all parts of the city—littered every corner of the streets. There was no city wide power supply, thus noisy generators were the main source of electricity, for those who could afford them.
Even more disgusting, looting of public coffers by senior government officials, on account of having liberated the land and were therefore entitled to everything they could grab, was rampant. The security forces still harassed ordinary citizens for no apparent reason, a notorious habit from the war era.
All these glaring shortcomings were perhaps easy to overlook at the time because of the prevailing circumstances. For one thing, the city and indeed the entire region of southern Sudan had been deliberately neglected by successive governments in Khartoum, hence it did not have much to begin with. Secondly, the region had just emerged from a devastating civil war that had destroyed whatever little infrastructure that existed. Moreover, because of the intransigence of the regime in Khartoum vis-à-vis the implementation of the Comprehensive peace Agreement (CPA), resumption of full-scale war between the north and south seemed inevitable, so maybe people thought it was pointless to do anything constructive. That was then.
What is the state of the city now? I visited Juba again in November of 2011, four months after South Sudan unshackled herself from northern colonial rule. This time around, while some things have remained unchanged since 2007, Juba, now the capital of a sovereign nation, is somewhat a different city. The major roads, at least the ones that the VIPs travel on, are now paved. Consequently, the public transportation system has improved significantly, although most parts of the city are still only accessible by motorcycles, better known as Boda bodas. The city is bustling with construction, with new better buildings going up in just about every corner of the city. I was told it is one of the fastest growing cities on the continent. Business is booming, with both local entrepreneurs and foreign investors engaged in all sorts of trade, ranging from selling tea and fruits on street corners to heavy duty construction. The city even has a vibrant nightlife, something unimaginable just a few years ago.
In terms of general sanitation, although the city has a long way to go, at least there is an attempt on the part of the city council, led by the mayor, who is perhaps the hardest working man in the city, to keep it clean. Trash cans and dumpsters and signs prodding the citizens to “Keep Juba Clean” are placed in strategic locations, if only the people can heed the advice.
All things considered, the progress that the city has made in such a short period of time is impressive.
But there is still a great deal that still needs to be done to transform the city into a modern metropolis commensurate with its status. Progress is painfully slow when it comes to provision of some basic services. For example, there is still a severe shortage of clean drinking water. At the moment, as was the case then, a great majority of the population in the city still relies on primitive water supply system: tanker trucks driven around the city to deliver water. The greatest irony, though, is that these tanker trucks are owned and operated by foreigners, who fetch the water from the River Nile and turn around and sell it to the citizens at inflated prices. More importantly, this method of water delivery exposes the population to many waterborne diseases that can otherwise be prevented. May be it is time the government made this a top priority because this is a matter of public health. Safe drinking water will save many lives!
The city is also still plagued by lack of adequate supply of electricity. As a result, young school pupils from the bottom rungs of the socioeconomic ladder are still forced to study under street lights to prepare for their final exams, making their task of trying to climb up the ladder that more challenging.
In addition to all these problems, security in the city is becoming a serious concern. In conversations with many residents of the city, I learned that violent crimes such as armed robberies and other minor crimes have been on the rise in recent months. The rise in crime raises a vexing question: what is the cause of this problem? One might look to the growing wealth disparity as a starting point. Walking or driving around the city, you find luxurious mansions, mostly owned by those in positions of power and seemingly built for the sole purposes of leasing to expatriates, next to huts. You find some people driving expensive luxury cars while others walk barefoot. There are those who can afford to spend hundreds of pounds on meals and alcohol multiple times a day while there are those who can barely afford a loaf of bread and a cup of tea once a day.
Most government workers earn very little and are seldom paid in time. For instance, a police officer makes a measly 340 SSP (about 80 USD) a month while politicians draw hefty salaries. At the same time, commodity prices are still high due to the heavy dependence on imports rather than local production, putting enormous pressure on those with few resources to care for their families.
It is obvious that the gap between those who have and those who don’t is widening by the day and it may never be narrowed. This has created a great deal of resentment and will no doubt continue to be a source of trouble. When the war ended, people expected great transformation across the board and hoped to reap great dividends from peace. This has not been the case. Instead, they see Juba, and by extension the whole country, transformed into a place where a few well connected individuals are running away with the country’s wealth while the masses are left in the dust. This is not the kind of transformation that most people anticipated.
Therein lies one of the biggest challenges this young nation faces. Unless the government takes bold measures to mitigate the situation, things will probably get worse before they get better. A lot worse.
*Nhial T. Tutlam currently lives in Saint Louis, MO