Juba residents protest JEDCO’s decision to cut power

“It’s really not good for the government to see these companies ruling them and telling the government what to do.” Stella Joan

Some residents in the South Sudan’s capital Juba are protesting a decision by the Juba Electricity Distribution Company (JEDCO) to shut down the only power station in the town. 

The JEDCO management issued a statement on Monday warning of a looming power blackout due to a lack of foreign currency for buying fuel for generators that supply electricity to Juba town. 

The Juba Electricity Distribution Company or JEDCO sent a circular Monday warning clients of a potential power shutdown starting April 6 at midnight.

JEDCO said its parent company Ezra Construction & Development Group has no foreign currency due to a lack of commitment from other stakeholders. When asked to identify its other stakeholders, JEDCO officials refused to comment. The letter went on to say the power company cannot provide services at full capacity.

Some Juba town residents who depend entirely on the company for powering their homes and businesses say JEDCO is manipulating the public and the government of South Sudan.

Zaida Ibrahim, a resident of Rock City, said JEDCO should identify the other stakeholders, so they can be held accountable.

“Someone should come out and tell us who JEDCO is, who Ezra is and who the other stakeholders are; me- I’m very confused.”

“I’ve not yet taken tea, I’ve not showered, it’s very cold today, I’ve bought a heater because I usually warm my water for bathing, now I can’t go to work. I can’t do anything. We want to ask those people because JEDCO is saying Ezra and there’re other stakeholders. Ok, we will ask Ezra but who are the other stakeholders?” She demanded.

Some residents accuse the company of holding the government hostage.  Resident Emmanuel Wani said JEDCO issued the notice because of recent news of the IMF loan given to South Sudan’s transitional government.

“This JEDCO, whenever they see that the government is receiving some money so they’ve to come out and demand that they are putting the power off.”

 “It’s like they’re holding the government hostage.” Wani said.

He asserted that such behavior should not be recurring, since the company could use money they get from clients and customers to run the day – to – day activities of the company.

“It’s not a matter of getting money from the government every time, it’s not a good way of doing business.” Wani added, saying the government should find a long-term solution to provide power for people across South Sudan.

Stella Joan, a resident of Jebel suburb of Juba town, said the company’s frequent power cuts affect the livelihoods of most people in the town who depend on electricity for work related activities.

“We use the power for a lot of things, once the power is shut off everyone feels sad at home. They feel bad. Sometimes you have something you want to do; you’ve work and the power is off and you feel bad.” Joan said.

she said the government of South Sudan should allow investors to build more power stations to encourage competition and avoid exploitation by one private company.

“It’s really not good for the government to see these companies ruling them and telling the government what to do.”

“I know they need their things to be fulfilled but not this way.” Joan concluded.

The power supply to some parts of Juba town was cut off on Tuesday. It’s not clear when normal electricity supply will resume.

In a press statement release Tuesday evening by the Ezra Construction and Development Group, the company said it has warned Mr. Peter Marcello Nasir, the Minister of Energy and Dams of the power shut down if government did not avail the money required for the adequate power supply.

The Insider couldn’t independently verify this claim by press time.