The mayor of Torit Municipal Council, Joseph Aye Joseph Oswaha, issued his first order, throwing out butchers and vegetable sellers from the Torit old market without allocating a new place for them to relocate to.
The order seen by Radio Tamazuj today dated 21st January 2021, the mayor ordered, “I, Joseph Aye Joseph Oswaha, do hereby issued this local order to inform the butchers and the vegetable sellers within the two facilities for meat and green vegetables in the old market to evacuate the two premises within three days with effect from the date of this order.”
“The municipality is not rejecting your services to our people but we need to improve the facilities so that you can operate in a good environment and render quality services,” read the order in part.
The mayor said that violators will face charges and forceful eviction from the premises.
“Any person who does not comply with this order will be evicted or ejected by force and will be fined 10,000 SSP,” the order concluded.
Mohamaden Mukhtar, the deputy chairperson for butchers in Torit town, said his team is aware of the municipal plan to transform the butchery into a modern place where meat can be sold in a hygienic environment. However, he called on authorities to provide a temporary place for butchers to continue with their business as they wait for the plan.
“We only have one problem, we are requesting the mayor and other administrators at the municipality to try and find for us a place so that my colleagues in the butchery will continue their work at least for a specific time because they told us that this program will not take a long time,” Mukhtar said.
“At least he should try to find a place where the tables can be put so that in case this place is destroyed our colleagues will get another place to work. We can even rent a place if it is given to us and there is no problem,” According to Mukhtar. “This is development at home and we need the place to develop as you can see the way we are selling meat is not healthy and now they want to build for us a modern butchery that will attract buyers. The meat will be clean with fridges and in case meat is not sold out we shall not take it home but we shall lock it here to remain clean.”
Betty Chongodok, a vegetable seller in the Torit market said they were not informed about any plan to evacuate but says she supports the move.
“For sure we are staying here in people's places. We don’t have a proper place where we can work. We are not refusing the directive of the mayor but we need a place where we can temporarily work from,” Chongodok said.