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The Juba City Council has threatened to fire some of its workers assigned with the collection of garbage within the city.

The Deputy Mayor for Administration says the garbage collectors have been extorting money from the public through levies, while not doing their job.

Thiik Thiik Mayardit says Juba is still infested with garbage because those employed to collect it have been sleeping on the job.

He told Eye Radio that they are reviewing the system of waste collection in the city.

Thiik said some people will soon lose their jobs at the city council for neglecting their duties.

“When they see us doing inspection in the markets or when they see us within the residential areas, that is when they run and collect the garbage,” he said.

Mr. Thiik said they have recieved reports of garbage being piled up by the road sides for weeks without any council worker attending to it.

“These people just collect money from people but they don’t collect the garbage, you hear citizens are complaining… but am going to look into it and if it’s not going to work, then some people will be fired,” he added.

Roads in Juba

The Deputy Mayor of Juba also said the city council has in the past neglected to develop a comprehensive budget for the rehabilitation of all major roads within the city.

He said that the council was now developing a stategic plan to improve service delivery for the residents of Juba.

Last year, the former Deputy Mayor for Infrastructure told Eye Radio that due to limited resources, their estimates for roads rehabilitation was too high.

Residents of Juba have often complained of the shoddy work being done on the major roads within the council’s jurisdiction.

Roundabouts and major junctions in Juba have been turned into what the public call; “swimming pools” during the rainy season.

Some of the major areas with dilapidated intersection are; 7 days church roundabout, NilePet Gudele, ‘Abba ye Lif’ on Tombura – Kator road, Konyo-konyo to Juba main bridge road, St. Theresa Cathedral to Juba main bridge road, Kator – Konyo-konyo – Malakia market intersection.

The city council is accused of spending millions of pounds each year to repair roads that gets destroyed within months.

Thiik Mayardit said there was never a strategic plan in the first place.

“The City Council up to date – if you ask anybody, they will not show you a plan. There was no any plan at all because in any country or any institution you have a plan, but the City Council does not,” he said.

Last year, the Juba City Council launched a project to grade 9 major roads within the city in order to improve trade and service delivery.

“People are just working without knowing what…I am sorry to say that, but there was no plan, we are now having a plan now,” he concluded.