Handbag grabbing: An Open Letter to Women Shoppers of Juba's Markets

By Deng Kiir Akok

Dear women shoppers of Juba City's markets, allow me to convey this message to you to express my personal disappointment with the rampage grabbing of your handbags by criminals out there in the streets or markets.

This happens whenever you go on shopping in Suk (market) Weiwei, Suk Militia, Suk Sita, Suk Konyokonyo, Suk Jebel, Suk Libya, Suk Custom and Suk Juba. Hence, this letter is in response to your daily basis unacceptable suffering from the hands of robbers. I am happy to have spared this little time to write to you on how you would cope with the phenomenon.

I know it well that these robbers are not only targeting your handbags but also targeting men's bags. But since your vulnerability is by far worse than that of men, so these two things can't be compared.

Such activities of grabbing handbags in public didn't exist in then Sudanese and now South Sudanese culture. I put blames for foreign criminals to have imported this culture into our society. But it's believed that such acts emerged with every day shrinking economy of a war-torn country since 2013. In such a situation, there's a significant increase in the number of street children that at their maturity turned robbers and endanger the society.

Last Saturday on August 13, 2016 in Konyokonyo while I was passing by, a robber attacked a woman waiting for public transport. I heard a woman crying out behind me, my handbag! My handbag! Cried a woman. When I looked for what was happening, I saw a young man running away while in his one hand was a woman's handbag. Everyone by that moment was trying to see what was going on near them.

Lucky enough, one member of public was caught by the attention and rushed to where a woman was crying. As a robber was running away, he crossed his leg on a robber's legs that caused him (robber) to fall onto the ground. Seeing this was of good hope and what came to my mind was to join the man to catch a robber. The robber didn't waste his time laying on the ground. He spent no second on the ground and picked himself up and ran to the darkness behind the shops. There, he was out of our sights and we can't see him again.

He left us with no idea. A woman's handbag with a mobile phone and money in it was gone. I was so disappointed with the incident. I would have chased him up to hell if I was wearing a lace-up shoes. But with sandals I can't run even a metre distance.

This was not the first time for me to see this happening in Konyokonyo market or elsewhere in Juba. In May, 2016, while we were passing Konyokonyo, I saw several young men grabbing a certain lady's handbag on the roadside. It was around 7:30pm local time.

These robbers loiter at bus stations and on the roadsides pretending to be bus conductors and shoppers that help them see women on shopping.

Sometimes back in May and June this year, the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) military polices used to patrol these markets in the late evening hours but it was dropped later for reason we don't know. This was of great help to those who leave the markets at late hours and on the benefits of women vulnerable to robbers.

It's very difficult nowadays to know who's a robber and who's not, in those markets. Because the robber may come driving a car, Boda Boda (motorcycle) or on a bare foot. No one knows which direction the robber may use to approach you.

However, I have suggestions here under that would help end your handbags' robbery. And they are:

1. Put your money in the pocket or use your mind in case you have no pocket while going on shopping. Putting your money in the pocket will give robbers hard time to take it from you. I know there're armed robbers who can even tell you to hand them all your possessions with no resistance or noise. But this suggestion will only work in a situation where you are attacked by unarmed robber.

2. Trust no one whiles in the streets or markets. It's because no one is sure what that person would think of you. These robbers in those places pretend to be potential passengers waiting for public buses to come and pick them. So be watchful of such people.

3. Quit those markets before 6:30 pm. The robbers use darkness as their opportunity to stage robbing on you.

4. Carry your handbags empty. Robbers grab your handbags with an idea that in there're a mobile phone and money. So in implementing this suggestion will make them change their minds on valuing your handbags to contain money and valuable materials.

5. Whenever you're in the streets or markets, be watchful to avoid your handbags being grabbed by criminals out there. To avoid this risk, you need to look right, left, in front and behind as you go to your intended destination.

Nowadays, Juba has become a dangerous place to move with a bag in the streets or markets. I hope the above suggestions will help you withstand your handbags' robbery in the capital.

God blesses South Sudan.

Mabior Garang: A Mama's Boy Politician Of South Sudan

By Deng Kiir Akok

Foremost, I will give thousand of thanks to his father, the freedom fighter, liberator, founder of Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) and a great hero, Dr. John Garang de Mabior. He was a man whose his wise thinking gave us this nation called today, South Sudan. We will not forget him in our lives time.

Let's get back to this boy called Mabior Garang, the former Water Resources and Irrigation. He had never been heard in public until August, 2012 when he came out publicly for the first time and criticized the entire leadership in the country under his father's successor, President Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit. In his first-ever interview with McClatchy in Kenya, he blamed the President of turning his back to Dr. John Garang's family of which he (Mabior Garang) belongs.

One year later after December 15, 2013 crisis, his mother, Nyandeng Chol Atem fled to Nairobi saying she was not feeling safe in Juba. She then talked to Media later in Kenya, saying December 17, 2013, is the day she will not forget for the rest her life.

While Mabior was in Nairobi, his second home after Juba, joined by his mother. There, they convened in their house and focused on political crisis back home. Because Mabior was just a drug addict, drunkard and well-known fool at the level of his age mates, was dragged by his mother to join the cheap politics of his father's former bitter enemy, Dr. Riek Machar, the leader of Armed Opposition and former Vice President of South Sudan.

What has President Kiir had not done for the Late Dr. John Garang's family? He appointed his mother, the Garang's widow to various top positions in the governments of South Sudan. Despite all these, Mabior still blaming the President of the republic of South Sudan of not taking good care of them. But to anyone with mature mind can see how President Kiir took care of them all these times. Unless Mabior was not bought baby bottle milk for his feeding. He would have thanked the country leadership for the little they get with his mother, Nyandeng Chol instead of complaining here and there.

But what I know so far about them is that they are better than any other South Sudanese in terms of what they get from the government. His family is staying in luxury house in Nairobi compare to any other South Sudanese down here in Juba and in the states.

What's all about this mess they are doing with his mother to our beloved country? Is it because Mabior's mother is young and so has a negative impact on his political career. Here, I can say this, "A politician with his/her mother young makes no good politics."

What I meant here is that those politicians with their mothers young fail politics because their mothers have hands in every single activity they do. Their mothers are good advisors for them. This influence may or may not work with public. Those advices don't work with  public when that thinking is that of a mere house and primitive mother. And to make matter worse when you have a mama's boy in politics like Mabior Garang. He is not a politician and will not be a politician if there was real politics in South Sudan.

 I have no enough time here to talk more about Nyandeng Chol, Mabior's mother and who's at the same time his best driver in politics since 2013. There are many things about Mabior to mention here and of whom I believe is an exact copy of Nyandeng's nature and characters. He is only a mama's boy. Menh-tiik that is what I know of him.

He doesn't know that he is destroying his father's legacy. His mother is too destroying his personality, and he doesn't understand since he is a mama's boy. His mother Nyandeng Chol is a confused window that doesn't know what to do. She uses to cry when ever she wishes to, saying, she is crying because of dying South Sudanese when she's also having a bigger hand in her Late husband's former long-time rival's mess.

Though her son, Mabior was rose to a high position in the then Kenya and Ethiopia-based Armed Opposition, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army - In Opposition (SPLM/A-IO), Nyandeng was given this position and not him as I know. This is because of Nyandeng being an invisible player. This guy called Mabior Garang is of no help to Armed Opposition in terms of his personal political ambitions. He doesn't know what to do and he can't even cut an onion for their breakfast in the SPLM/A-IO if there's a need leave alone his claim to be a politician.

Mabior showed his incompetence on August 2014 in Addis Ababa when Ethiopian security caught him carrying a 9 MM pistol cocked with six bullets in one of the hotel reception where president Gen. Salva Kiir was staying in trying to assassinate the President.

Mabior Garang is just a good drunkard and not a politician let everyone knows this. You also need to know why he always lives in Kenya. It's because his mother, uses to live there in Kenya all these times and Mabior since he is a mama's boy of all time goes there to stay with his mother.

I believe if his mother changes the place of stay now to Nigeria for instance, he would probably be found there, living in that country. He can't live in an environment where his mother is not seen. What I know of him is that he can't decide on his own but what he can make is his mother decision.

Even when he was appointed as minister for Water and Irrigation  in April, 2016 formed Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU) from the SPLM/A-IO side, I never thought of him or tell anyone that there's a politician being put there in that ministry but only a Nyandeng's son. I can say here that the position he held in that short periods of time had a wrong man in a right place.

In conclusion, I wish Mabior Garang's mother, Nyandeng Chol Atem would have time to read this piece of advice. But I will not give up to leave my suggestion here. This goes to you Nyandeng Chol, I would like you to give your son, Mabior a time so he would grow up and to have thinking capacity like his age mates who are now doing fruitful things to their families. Our citizens including the author of this piece are tired of how Mabior conducts himself in public. He lacks qualities of leadership and above all things, he's a childish mindset person.

Juba Town Could Be Hideout For Cholera

By Deng Kiir Akok

Opposite Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC) building in Juba town is an incomplete five floors tower rarely called Amara-Pagan and falls south of Al-atiek Mosque. In front of it, are three Toptank containers turned into storing wastes or leftovers from restaurants operating in this Amara. These tanks are put on a bare ground and arranged in line. The building is divided into parts where the first and second floors are for tea and shisha makers. Third and fourth floors fall under restaurants.

Shortly after government and opposition forces fought in early July this year while approaching South Sudan Independence Day celebrations. The government had said earlier that it was not ready to celebrate the 5th Independence Day Anniversary this year but instead will observe the day due to economic hardship present in the country.

As some of the things happen in nature and not according  human plans, there was a suspected cholera outbreak of Juba and some parts of the country according to South Sudan ministry of health. The ministry including its partners (MSF, WHO and other health based organizations) had taken samples of patients for study to establish the suspected cholera outbreak.

After samples were tested positive for Vibrio Cholera Ivana, the ministry confirmed and declared the outbreak of cholera across the nation. The health ministry outlined measures suitable for confronting the disease. And those measures were for South Sudanese citizens to stick to good hygiene and sanitation at their respective places amongst other things.

However, this is not the case in Amara-Pagan. The tanks I mentioned earlier are full of leftovers, exhausted water, fish scales and all these decomposed and send out smelling which covers a larger part of Juba town leave alone GPOC building and  Juba bus station. These tanks have leaks in them and the fact they have leaks made them unfit to store liquid and blah blah. Some people including me don't pass near that smelly place.

What I am not sure being that how people eat from those restaurants operating in there when the place is not clean? You can still smell this place even if you are at Jubek Square, imagine how strong this smelling can travel. I didn't pass there for at least three months but I paid a visit only on July 18, 2016 after the epidemic was declared by the ministry of health to check on it whether it was still like before.

Although I resisted the smelling that day but it later in the few minutes forced me to desert the place. My intention was to see how this place could be a potential environment for the disease. I believe if those measures recommended by the ministry are taken seriously elsewhere in the capital Juba and in the States still the disease will consider this place to be its hideout for years or life.

I was questioning myself all these times for why not those concern authorities or be public health officers are reluctant to oversee their duties.  Why do they keep silent on this issue and don't want to talk to these restaurants' owners that used to dump wastes in front of the building and the way leading to GPOC building.

Where's that motto that says ' keep Juba clean? ' Or are they not supporting the campaign for keeping our city clean? If they are so, then the authorities concern should tell them to quit this place and go to where sanitation is not important.  If there a place which sanitation is not important to this earth. I think such a place doesn't exist at all and if so, let them learn how to keep good hygiene at the surrounding areas.

I was of suggestion that why shouldn't those customers that used to eat from there to refuse their food one day and tell them they will not come to eat there until the place is kept clean. But I know it well, they will not do that unless I was them that suggestion would have happened.

I am afraid that if a good research is carried out across Juba and on those who used to eat from this Amara in particular. The findings may show that few individuals out of these customers would already have suffered this cholera outbreak since these restaurants lack knowledge of sanitation.