Late Alfred Taban, was a prominent South Sudanese journalist, and the founder Juba Monitor. Taban was also the newspaper editor-in-chief - Courtesy

The family of late Alfred Taban, the founder of Juba Monitor say the legal battle for the newspaper is a matter of preserving the legacy of their father.

This is in light of the ongoing court case between the heirs of the late and the administration of Juba Monitor as well as other shareholders.

In 2020, the family of Alfred Taban filed a lawsuit against the management of Juba Monitor and the Grand Media Africa Company over ownership and sharing of the company’s resources.

In an emotional statement to the media on Wednesday, the family said they have opted to go to court after exhausting a year of enduring negotiations, which started immediately after the death of their father.

“A week after the loss of the pillar of our family, we were confronted by the administration of Juba Monitor regarding the operation and ownership of the paper, as difficult as it was at the time, and as we grieved our father, we sat in multiple meetings trying to reach a resolution with the administrators, board of directors and shareholders,” read the statement.

“We have battled this case since the death of our father in silence and we haven’t left a rock unturned to try and find an amicable settlement before taking the case to court. We have fought not only in silence, but in pain, grief and alone,” the family said.

The emotional statement written a week into the anniversary of the death of Alfred Taban says the family have been subjected to suffering since his demise.

“We do not believe he has rested in peace for the last three years. His widowed wife and five orphaned children have been subjected to unbearable pain since his death. We have also been isolated from his legacy,” it reads.

Alfred Taban, one of the most notable personalities in South Sudan journalism, died in Uganda in 2019. He was 62.

“I can never express the void and emptiness I’m left with. My father and I were more like best friends. He was everything I ever wanted in a father,” said tearful Night Liyong during the last funeral of her father.

Liyong, the third born of the family described the late as a good man who loved people.

This month, Kator High Court suspended activities of Grand Media Africa Company Limited and Juba Monitor Newspaper over alleged ‘malpractices’ until final court disposal.

This comes after the plaintiff applied for restrictions on the daily activities of the newspaper until the final ruling was made.

The family claimed that Grand Africa Media is not running Juba Monitor as anticipated and that there are some irregularities and sidelining of other shareholders.

The court then granted permission to the request and directed for the freezing of all Juba Monitor Bank Accounts and the newspaper’s activities.

The order also called for the appointment of three administrators, 2 from plaintiff and the defendant and 1 from court to observe assets of Company and Newspaper.

Yesterday, Juba Police arrested the Editor-in-chief of Juba Monitor Anna Nimiriano on charges of defying the court injunction.

Before her arrest, Anna who is the first female chief editor in the country expressed disappointment over the suspension of the English Daily, saying the move undermines the legacy of late Alfred Taban.

“If we want the legacy of late Alfred Taban to continue, closing Juba Monitor is like we are closing the legacy of late Alfred Taban,” Nunu told Eye Radio via phone last week.

“I hope this situation will be resolved because the paper is serving the people of South Sudan and they know the importance of this newspaper,” she added.

The Juba Monitor newspaper was established in Juba in 2012 as an offshoot of the Khartoum Monitor Newspaper founded by the late Alfred Taban and others in the year 2000.

After the independence of South Sudan in 2011, Late Alfred Taban relocated to Juba and renamed his publication, the Juba Monitor with its original shareholders.

He was the Executive Director of Grand Media Africa Company Limited and at the same time, the editor-in-chief of Juba Monitor and later, Alfred Taban owned some shares, as well as some people became shareholders.