The Commissioner of Juba County has promised to summon all the Payam directors for failing to follow the directives on the sale of banned harmful alcohol.

This comes after several traders continued with the sale of harmful liquor such as star gins and royal vodka, especially in residential areas.

Speaking to The City Review yesterday, Juba County Commissioner, Charles Joseph Wani, said all the Payam directors in Juba County will have to be questioned for failing to observe the order.

“It’s not only the work of the government but the responsibility of all the citizens to report to us who is still selling alcohol because it’s our people who are consuming it, which is very harmful to their lives. That is why I am saying all of us should work to stop it,” Wani said.

He said the directive was to close any shop found selling the harmful alcohol. But there was no implementation, as most of the small shops in the residential areas were still selling the spirits.

“We need to cooperate to stop these types of harmful alcoholic [drinks] called gins because we want to make our society free and healthy,” he said.

In November 2021, Wani banned the sale of harmful liquor and directed all the directors in every Payam administration to implement the directive and order.

Among the harmful and alcoholic beverages banned are Star Gin, Boss Gin, London No1, Royal Special Gin, Mater Gin, B-52 Gin, Royal No1 Vodka, Cheer Vodka, Vodka Mix, Royal Blue, Prime Vodka, White Tusker Vodka, Mambuka, Premium vodka, Fly Coconut Vodka, Prime Kiss Vodka, Ice Palace Vodka, Prime Vodka, Flirat Vodka, Golden Dry Gin, and Fan see Gin.

The commissioner hatched the plan to ban the sale of alcoholic gins and spirits as a measure to reduce mental illness and alcohol-related deaths in the county.

This comes after alcohol-related deaths were reported on the outskirts of Juba. For instance, in September 2021, a young man died in Gumbo after consuming seven bottles of Royal Gin in a drinking competition. In 2020, a similar incident occurred in the Kator residential area.

The ban is similar to one enacted in August 2021 by the Eastern Equatoria State, which restricted the importation, sale, and consumption of harmful alcoholic drinks and fermented yeast brands in the state. Governor Louis Lobong Lojore said the decision was meant to avoid death and mental-related issues in the state.