New brewer marks a new era in South Sudan history
December 11, 2008 (KHARTOUM) – A South African beer company announced that will build a new beverage plant in the capital of Southern Sudan, the first of its kind in 25 years since Islamic Shari’a law was imposed by the central government.
SABMiller Africa said in a statement that the new brewer will be fully operational by February 2009 and that production of carbonated soft drinks will follow after that.
The new brewery marks a tangible outcome of 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed between North and South that allowed the latter to be exempt from application of Islamic law.
“We will not only be consuming but producing alcohol. It is a serious political message of one country, two systems” the south’s agriculture minister Samson Kwaje told Reuters at the SABMiller Africa launch Tuesday.
Kwaje said he did not think the introduction of a new beer in South Sudan would aggravate already tense relations between Khartoum and the south’s capital Juba.
The beer company said that the $37 million investment “will create employment for hundreds of Sudanese locals once manufacturing commences and has already employed a large amount of skilled labor in the construction of the plant”.
Furthermore SABMiller Africa said they will pay royalties to the Juba community for leasing the land as well letting them benefit “through access to clean, safe water from the Nile, which is the main water source for manufacture by the business”.
“We are committed to delivering high quality and affordable products while delivering consistent growth in a country like Southern Sudan, which has immense potential” says Mark Bowman, Managing Director SABMiller Africa.
South Sudan was flooded with crates of expensive imported beer after the 2005 peace deal, most of it from Uganda.
Even before the accord, consumption of alcohol continued in rural areas of the rebel-held south but this was mostly locally brewed sorghum beer.
(ST)
Mr Famous Big_Logic_Boy
New brewer marks a new era in South Sudan history
This is a great route to the development of South, because this reduce the number of youth who are liotering and roaming on the streets to have chance of getting jobs. It also benefit South businessman from paying their tax to foreign countries lik Uganda and Kenya. South is not under Khartoum governemnt, and the shria laws are in arabs islamic terrorist states probably not in South.
However Goss need to implement safety rules, the wasted products of brewer companies are too dangerous to the enviornment and the animals in general. Therefore those companies must operate careful in South, they must not contaminate the water, air and the environment in which every organism are relying on. This had happened in Nigeria and soon will come to South if we are accepting things without balancing the goodness and the badness. The production of wine in South will increase the number of juvenile crimes, youths will get drunk and riding motorbike at once. The introduction of those fake Congolese motorbike has been a tough challenge to our youth if w’re genuine to analysis. I personal welcome this development, but think, listen and look before crossing the road. This is what am expecting from Goss. Otheriwse in later stage you will heard that someone is sick in Malakia, Munuki, Nyokuron and etc or someone had passed away in the hospital because of the carefulless dipose of waste materials from the brewer companies.
I understand how the corruption is in existence in this country, but for our own sake we must not allow foreign to come and kill us when they are getting money. We have the rights to protest if they are not working under safety rules and regulations, Mr Kiir and his counterpart Kwaje are suppose to keep an eyes on this company, we need develeopment not killers or poisoners. I recommand that before this wine can be release to retail stores, they must undergo test by a real Southerner who is holding a PhD in physics or chemistry. Lets always co-operate for our own benefit, We must not trust everything from those investors, a businessman has alot of persuasive tricks to persuade with customers. We can not let ourselves to be drag into dangerous for the interest of foreigners.
J.James
New brewer marks a new era in South Sudan history
Mr. Logic
That is really very good news because you will buy beer cheap just near by without all those Ugandan tariffs which elevated beer prices.
Anyway, today you sound southerner, keep it up and we will give secretatial job in Pibor next summer.
Please don’t forget to come and take your two skinny goats which we had agreed to pay after your niece. As you told me, two goats were more than cassava you paid for you wife as there are no wealth to pay as dowry in your community except bowl of beer.
Please happy Christmas and don’t drink too much good boy.
I hope you come for the goats.
God bless
The writer is your in-law who paid you two skinny goats.
phillip o
New brewer marks a new era in South Sudan history
To me is a negative development because southernes have misintepreted the meaning of the CPA to be CDA which means Comprehencive Drink Agreement.The un denniable fact is that southernes do not have any drinking problem.They drink get drunk fall down no problem.If that New error comes to Juba,Iam sure most employees as well as their employers will use remot controls to handle their offices,and many will join the releam of the departed.This will make every body aware that “The new brewer makes a new error in South Sudan”.