Category: Health

Yei authorities confiscate expired foreign maize flour

Yei County authorities have confiscated large quantities of maize flour believed to be either contaminated or expired from shopkeepers in the market.

Justin Luwate, Yei Chairperson of the Chamber of Commerce said the move came after some buyers complained they
discovered ‘spongy like objects’ and stinking smells in the food product.

“We got a lot of reports that the maize flour in the market was not good; that it is expired and smelly and these complaints continued to come from various people.”

Mr. Luwate said the concerns prompted the area Commissioner to issue an order directing the county health officials to conduct a search and confiscate the food product.

“So that it triggered public health officials to conduct a search in the market and indeed they got additional information that there was spongy material in the maize flour.”

Mr. Luwate said no adverse effects were recorded from the consumption of the allegedly expired flour.

in November last year, South Sudan National Bureau of Standards warned that the country was feeding on substandard food due to inability to examine imported goods.

South Sudan rely entirely on Kenya and Uganda for all of its imports.

Tomatoes, onions, maize flour, rice, cooking oil, dairy products and beans are some of the food items still being imported from neighboring countries.

Mary Gordon Muortat who is the Chief Executive Officer of South Sudan National Bureau of Standard said this has been happening because her institutions lack the resources to protect South Sudan from harmful products.

While making the remarks, Mrs. Muortat also disclosed that over 500 bags of inferior sorghum were earlier impounded which were meant for the South Sudan Peoples Defense Forces or the SSPDF.

The Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs had confirmed the importation of the food adding that, directives were given for the sorghum to be destroyed.

Angelina Teny however did not name the company that bought the 500 bags of sorghum for the army.

Mundri West Commissioner bans home-made ‘marijuana’ wines

Western Equatoria’s Mundri West County Commissioner has banned the production and consumption of suspected home-made local wine being infused with illicit narcotics.

Zelipha Dawa Justin alleges that the local brewers are adding marijuana into liquors.

According to Dawa, consumers are exhibiting erroneous behavior after taking the additives.

“While they do this, you notice the presence of criminals in these bars and then they go to commit criminal activities.

“When they drink these wines, their lives turn crazy”, she added.

She said she observed increase in crimes such as rape, theft and murder, purporting the excessive use of narcotics in liquor as the main drivers.

Ms. Dawa said she summoned the brewers and warned them against punitive measures should they defy the order.

“I summoned them today to raise awareness of the law that governed them because adding any narcotic substance harms human health.”

“…and anyone who does not abide by the order will expose himself to imprisonment for three months and 250,000 SSP as a fine.”

Commissioner Dawa said samples of the drinks have been taken for laboratory examination to establish the substance being used in the drinks.

But she believed this could be bhang.

In March this year, Western Equatoria State Governor, Alfred Futuyo Karaba banned the consumption of dry gins such as Star Gin, Royal Gin, London No.1 including Tramol and Marungi in the State.

He put up to one million pounds as a fine for violators.

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