A traffic police on duty in the street of Juba. | Photo: Courtesy.

Juba, South Sudan (Eye Radio) – A member of Parliament has called on the National Legislative Assembly to summon the Inspector General of Police to explain why drivers of Land Cruiser V8 vehicles in the capital, Juba, appear to be above the law.

Hon. Arkangelo Kanewe Minawe, representing Western Equatoria State, told the house on Tuesday, August 12, that some V8 drivers frequently disregard traffic rules and intimidate other motorists.

He claimed that in cases of accidents, the owners often call in military vehicles, known locally as “Thatcher,” for backup instead of following legal procedures.

“There is a car here called V8. This V8 is moving in this country, breaking the rules of traffic,” Kanewe stated.

“If it hits any car on the road or motorcycle, the driver or the owner of the V8 will come down, charge that person, and… the owner of the V8 will call this car [Thatcher]. And the traffic on the road, they are not stopping the car called V8.”

Kanewe further alleged that traffic laws are applied selectively, targeting ordinary citizens such as boda-boda riders, water tanker drivers, and rickshaw operators.

He argued that those driving V8s, whether registered or not, “are moving freely without consequences.”

The MP urged the house to summon the Inspector General of Police, General, to explain why the law is not being enforced equally.

“What I’ve seen is like law in this country, it has been meant just for the poor people,” he said.

“What I want this house to do is to call the IGP to come here and explain what has happened there with the law that V8 is not being accounted for.”

In response, Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba joked that it is parliamentarians themselves who drive V8s, before urging everyone to respect the rule of law.

“There is no one above the law,” Kumba said. “And most of the people, okay, it’s not only the politicians who are driving V8. There are also business people, and there are individuals who have money to buy V8. So let us respect the law. The traffic should be fair for everyone. The law is not for poor people; it is for all of us. We are lawmakers, so we should also live by example.”