Central Equatoria Governor pledges no illicit land acquisition
By Ngor Arol Garang
January 29, 2011 (JUBA) — Clement Wani Konga, Governor of the central Equatoria State on Saturday said he will not shield any group under his authority engaging in illegal land allocations and other vices.
He also challenged those with information about any scandalous deals they know being spearheaded by local authorities to come forward and report them to relevant institutions.
“There have been reports coming to my office from many people that there are people giving out plots to individuals and companies without following legal procedures. These reports have been coming to me for a very long time. I encourage these people to still come forward and report them to relevant institutions. They should inform land commission and my office for appropriate actions,” Konga said at the Central Equatoria State General Secretariat on Saturday.
The governor said he would work in close collaboration with the land commission to give what he termed as credible report to Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for investigation. Konga further said land belongs to the community and that community must be consulted before taking the land for any use.
“The Comprehensive Peace Agreement is very clear with the land. It says clearly that land belongs to the community. So, if you there are people who need to be allocated a piece of land for any use, they need to follow legal procedures or discuss with it local authorities from where the person require plot,” said Konga.
The Governor said he will not tolerate any local authority that wants to take advantage of the people. ” If there are people who know there are people involved in this business, “Let them come forward and tell us the local authorities involved. We don’t just want local authorities to take advantage of the people we are supposed to serve. I will not shield anybody either in my administration or otherwise,” he said.
Konga said no-one is above the law.
“It is not like when a government official steals, and then they will be shielded. No-one will be shielded, crime is a crime and so nobody is above the law to be given special treatment over illicit acquisition of plots”.
Peter Thomas Gore, a commissioner of Juba County in a separate interview with Sudan Tribune disclosed that his administration has opened an inquiry into the allocation of plots in Juba North area by officials in the Payam.
He said this decision follows complaints taken to his administration by members of the public.
“In fact, the initial inquiry started a long time before the issue even came out in the public domain,” he said. I have shared the governor reports about individuals erecting up tukuls and building on plots belonging to individual members in the community and they do not give them names of those who allowed them to erect up or start construction”.
Wani Gore Tombe, a prominent member of Bari tribe and works with the government of south Sudan welcomed the Governor’s statement saying there should be no sacred cows in the matter.
“Everyone must face the law whether government officials or individuals acting on their capacities as citizens,” he said. I have witnessed several times individuals selling out plots to individuals without documents. I wonder why people buy plots from individuals without document. This is part of an open corruption and people practicing this must not be allowed to continue without being brought to justice”.
Meanwhile, Alfred Sebit, another resident of Juba has demanded that investigations by the Juba county administration following reports of illegal land allocation be handled expeditiously so that the culprits can face the law.
He said almost a week ago, local authorities accused by the chiefs in allocating plots to individuals and companies under pretext that they will give services to the communities needs to come out clean over the land scam or be confirmed by the investigation to the public.
“We note that some people have within the government of Central Equatoria state and more especially authorities from Juba County, attempted to implement some cheap political spin over this enormous scandal,” he said.
He described as cheap and insincere Commissioner’s statement that plots along Gondokoro were given to certain offices at the council because of the pressure exerted on them by the public.
“It’s very clear that as one of the authorities charged with the responsibility to safeguard the interests of the people of Bari community , Mr. Gore has opted to tell his version of the story in the most irresponsible and illogical manner. He is better off keeping quiet than always having something to say,” he said.
However, reacting to allegations that local authorities are involved in illicit allocations of plots to individuals and companies in Juba, Wani Subek, a registration and identification officer in the department of land public utility, said call on Mr. Sebit to shed more light on how many plots he personally has seen being allocated by local authorities to individual companies.
“It is one thing to point accusing finger on individuals and it is another to produce proof. Can Sebit bring the person he claimed to have been issued a plot by local authorities in Juba. This is rubbish. It is nonsense otherwise I challenge him to produce evidence now,” said Subek.
(ST)
Bol Deng
Central Equatoria Governor pledges no illicit land acquisition
Dear Central Equatorian,
Do you want your South Sudanese to leave Juba and the areas around it because the land belong to Central Equatorian?
If you think that want than you must know that Juba is a capital city of South Sudan.
Or if you want only Equatorian among the other Southerners in the city then tell GOSS to locate the capital city.
It seems that these people has forgotten that Juba and the areas around it are the areas whereby almost half of Southerners died during the war.
This decision is completely dangerous if not deadly dear brothers from Central Equatorian.
There are lots of abuse that these people are doing against the other ethnicities. Did you forget what you guys did in 1990s. When i hear these complains, i really feel sick.
Marco A. Wek
Central Equatoria Governor pledges no illicit land acquisition
Dear readers, we Southers have shown unity from January 9th through January 15th and that was the unity doubted by many people including myself and if we did that successfully, no doubt, we will overcome the land issues in Juba and the areas around it.
Our brothers and sisters in Juba should be proud and thankful for the government of South Sudan to shose Juba to be our Capital City. Land is a property of state government but that does not mean that people who have had some land would not be recognize but they should not act superior to the state government or discriminate their fellow Southerners from other states. Juba like Khartoum shouldn’t be claimed by individuals on the basis they were born there. Just like Khartoum is not claimed by any particular group of people in the North so should juba be. After all, it will be for the best interest of those in Juba and its surroundings that most development in the South would be in their area.
Who on earth would spit put the food from his or her mouth when that individual needs that food for his or her nourshering? Do not let yourselves be misled by short views. Think wide, think global.
omoni Atari
Central Equatoria Governor pledges no illicit land acquisition
Good job governor,
If you are against what the governor said,then you are nothing. The governor is very clear by saying that ,if you are selling out your plot you have to let the authorities know and you have to sign some documents too, those documents act as the witness in case of any problem.
I know some Dinka they dont like this idea,and they just trying to keep graping people land.
Someone said that ,during the WAR,why they dont talk about plots? that is very stupid question,that question can kill all the south sudanese nerve.
parara na junub
Central Equatoria Governor pledges no illicit land acquisition
Dear Readers, Central Equatoria State it is the same like other States with its procedures for an individual or Government Institutions to acquire land and besides this, it is following what was stated in South Sudan Interim Constitutions regarding land issues. My response to those who comment blindly without reasoning; Remember land issues are not like what you practice in cattle camp by grabbing cattle from your fellow neighborhood, I appreciate Jonglei Governor for coming up with solution for cattle rearing. we are now having a nation we need systematic law in all grounds to govern ourselves rather than slandering among ourselves.
Regarding the vicissitude struggle of this new nation, it was the joint effort of all south Sudanese people. Nevertheless, the land of Equatorians is not sold on tribal bases but its sold on financial bases, so if your not able to acquire a land go to your native place and get a settlement there peacefully since GoSS have objectives of taking urban service to rural areas; to whom do you want GoSS to deliver these service if you dont want to settle in your native place?
Finally, we should stop talking nonsenses regarding land issues, Let us have a spirit of Uniting our selves to defend our new nation since we are waiting for July, we never know what khartoum government is planing.
I know that “Everyone think of changing the world but no one think of changing his ideology or himself”
we should have converge to our nation to make it a sanctum for all people around the world.
Malek David
Central Equatoria Governor pledges no illicit land acquisition
Wow, gentlemen Equotia young men will never understand the gove’t policy. pliz being pessimistic doesn’t help any where, we should not waite 4 this people 2 develop. clement was there by mistake. he was not officially elected by the community.
iHatejalaba
Central Equatoria Governor pledges no illicit land acquisition
People Juba belongs to the Bari tribe and it’s a Central Equatoria land most of you are aware of it but some with barbaric mind won’t understand. I read the article it doesn’t mention a particular tribe but the governor want law and order in that state. We don’t want corruption in juba. What if someone sold your land to a third party isn’t this fraud but now some people are crying that Dinka’s are been mistreated in juba. Maybe they are mistreat for a fact that they are the land grabbers and don’t comply with the law. I’m an equatorian but I don’t have problem leaving with Dinka’s, nuer, shuluk or whatever tribe in the south as long as they do the right thing. I never heard any equatorian person who went to bor, nasir etc to do land grabbing there. It’s simple you want a piece of land you have to go by the law. Welcome to the real world.
In the real world you can’t leave in someone’s house without paying any rent or utilities so please forget that your in the bush and deal with current laws in Juba because the law is the law and jails are available in Juba. Some southern Sudanese people who leave in a western country still comment on this article as if they are in the jangle you should be advising you nomadic people to comply with the law. Stupid people
Nhomlawda
Central Equatoria Governor pledges no illicit land acquisition
Victor,
I hope it is you who is stupid indeed. You do not even know the definition of land grabbing. Dinkas and Nuers need land for basic use which is being denied to them. They are not taking land for prestige or future use.
You and equatorians who are against people from other regions in Juba will leak their elbows or some of you will be thrown out of Juba completely.
Deng Kur Gabriel
Central Equatoria Governor pledges no illicit land acquisition
Guys if you have a problem with one tribe from equatoria, let us not generalized all equatorians otherwise we are creating more enemies. There lots of tribes from Equatoria including the warriors tribes such as the latuka, taposa and so on. Dinka is one tribe too. So let us be careful. when people talk against Dinka, they don’t talk of the state in general like how we refer to the whole region of equatoria. we must only talk of the tribe of which we have problem with. rather than insulting innocent tribes that would in turn get upset to us although they have no problem before.
tanks
Victory
Central Equatoria Governor pledges no illicit land acquisition
Nhomlawda,
Dink & Nuer need the land for the basic needs?what will be the grantee that they wont claim it in the future?what if they dönt returne back to the owner later? whatever you are saying dosen’t make sens,the governer dosen’t have any personal problem with a particuler ethic there in juba,but he want his state to be land corruption-free,no one can deny anyone from a piec of land as long there respect & procedures being followed, morever whom are you going to throw out?just get rid of your village mind Ok.
Marco A. Wek
Central Equatoria Governor pledges no illicit land acquisition
Ihatejalaba, a civilized person would commend civically and the fact that you are insulting indicates how uncivilized you are. The people you called bush people gave you your freedom from Malaga you hate but was deadly staid of to the extend that you would say a word to them in your own house then.
Unfortunately for you Mr. Ihatejalaba the government is run by the ones you called bush people and if you are man enough to tell them in person that they act like bush people, I am quite sure they will teach you jungle law. I will advise you to keep that only on the website where you are hidden under the fake name.
When it comes to what the governor said about some people who selling lands illegally, that is not acceptable because such people may be selling lands that do not belong to them. It should be done legally so that whoever buys land should have legal documentation of ownership.
marie
Central Equatoria Governor pledges no illicit land acquisition
The fiasco of the land and other issues happening in the South is becasue GOSS tries to to mingle into the affairs of the states without knowing its jurisdiction. GOSS is the supreme power in South Sudan that design policies for the whole of South Sudan. It should delegate some othe the powers to the states to handle some of the issues.
Let us take the example of a country like Canada that comprise of provinces. The federal government headed by the prime minister is based in Ottawa, the capital, but municipality is responsible for the land, taxes, water, utility and other services in the city. The money generated from all the these services is used for the services in the city. The taxes generated by the city is given to the federal government and in turns reallocated to the provinces.
That is how the federal government jurisdiction is defined and the relationship with the provinces. Coming to the issue of the Juba as being the seat of the government, Juba county should be the one responsible for the allotment of plots in Juba not GOSS. When GOSS needs a pices of land for a project in a particular county, it should coordinate with the commissioner of the county acquire the land.
GOSS should not have the rights of distributing lands in Bor, Malakal, Awiel, Wau, Yambio, Torit, Nassir etc. It should be the local authority, because at the end of the day, the money generated from the land usage should be used for the development of the area, but not brought to Juba which is the capital.
Juba being the capital of South Sudan of course belongs to all. Anyone has the right to settle in Juba, but there should be procedures to follow in acquiring a land. No one shoud claim that because the areas around Juba is not inhabitated and they have the right to start erecting houses in them.
Just for argument sake, I work for GOSS and I have a plan of growing rice. I know Aweil is a fertile land for growing rice. I cannot just go and start cultivating the area without following the official procedures in the pretext that I work for GOSS, this is completely absurd.
There are voices out there saying Arabs did occupy the land and nobody seemed to concern but now that other are trying to get plots, they are being objected to. My family has been living in Juba since 1956 and have never witnessed a single case of land grapping by the Mundukuru. All the houses they built in Hai Jalaba, Hai Malakal, Malakia, Atlabara etc where legally acquired that was why they were able to sell them to Southerners on their leaving. No Mundukuru has ever acquired a piece of land in Bilinyang, Rejaf, Luri, Nimule, Yei etc by force.
It is time people should understand the law of the land otherwise, the whole region would be in chaos. People fought for 50 plus years because nobody wants to be under slavery. People should be careful at this time, what happened in old Sudan should not continue to exist in the to be “South Sudan” new nation.
When you mistreat your pet in the house, one day, it would gather all the strength it has and attack you. It is time for us as Southerners to open a new chapter a move in the right direction. If some people have a hidden agenda for the South Sudan, they better think twice, because it would never work. Khartoum government in collaboration with the Arab World was unable to subject us to slavery.
Nan dit
Central Equatoria Governor pledges no illicit land acquisition
Dear all,
Am a Dinka from Northern Bhar el gazal.I would like you guys to stop commentinting on the governor’s statements in illegal Land allocation. Why? all of you are out of Laws,read the ”Land Act for S-Sudan”and you will beleived the governor. Land should be expropriated from the community in consulting them,with possible compensation.
Eviction can’t be illigall,for Dinkas they don’t have problem too.Blame must go to the Equatoria communities,they sold out Land to the Dinka illigal.Land allocation in communal Land is the duty of the chiefs.Urban land is the duty of the State Ministry of Physcial and Infratructure base on Laws.
My comments to governor and GOSS is that there is need to have Land anti corruption committee across South Sudan.Corruption in Land is very high in all the States and it will case tribal and inter clan conflict after Independent of South Sudan.