Speaking to reporters yesterday, Francis alleged that Juba City Council on Wednesday sent its engineers to illegally demarcate its ten shops at Hai Malakia.
This was before the surprise dismissal of the Juba City Mayor Kalisto Ladu.
“We will take Juba City Council to court if they don’t cancel this demarcation, we will take them to court and the court will see them where their place is and what to be done with the land they are illegal demarcating,” Francis told reporters in Juba on Thursday.
“People don’t know their job descriptions, they just want to see something and interfere with it, and this is causing the problem but this issue of land grabbing, we will address it and if they insisted to have rights, we will take them to court,” Francis added.
Francis warned authorities of Juba City Council against interfering in the job of the Ministry of Housing and Public Utilities.
“Event their procedures for demarcation are wrong because there is the Ministry of Housing and public utilities which are dealing in land issues. For you, (Juba City Council) your role is to deal only in regulating taxes and oversee what is happening in the market and not to interfere in something else,” Francis said.
He claimed that the official’s Juba City Council after demarcating the land proceeded to distribute it among themselves.
“City Council came and they also wanted to take this place for themselves. They went there and demarcated ten shops and distributed them among themselves. Mayor has a place there, his chief executive and Director of Juba Block and their engineers,” he said.
“There is a difference between you (Juba City Council) and the ordinary land grabbers. Because you are having powers and you want your power to enforce something including what is already being given to someone,” he said
Land grabbing, and disputes over plots, and its subsequent violent conflicts are common problems in South Sudan.