Central Equatoria considers taxing cattle keepers
The government of Central Equatoria State is considering taxing cattle belonging to people from other states to generate revenue.
This was suggested during the interactive discussion with the media and civil society yesterday.
Moro Genesio, the Minister of Local Government and Law Enforcement Agency stated that they would organise grazing lands that would be restricted so that anyone wanting to graze cattle would have to pay a fee to gain access.
“When the order came on the evacuation of cattle to their places of origin, at our level, we succeeded in evacuating these cattle.” We agreed with the communities involved, and we agreed to move these cattle without any resistance, “Wayi said.
“The governor asked some of the ministers to come up with a plan to draft some state policies on how we can be able to minimise the rampant movement of cattle. And in the plan that we…will involve taxing these herds of cattle,” he added.
Give-and-take
“If you are capable of doing it then we will say okay, welcome to Central Equatoria because we are also benefiting from your presence, but that will not also be at the expense of the agrarian community,” the official stressed.
According to the minister, the delay in the graduation of police officers to maintain law and order has hampered the state’s ability to control cattle keepers.
“You even read in the media that the governor led delegations to the cattle camps to move these cattle based on the order issued by the President. We first of all [want to] try to talk to them to move alone, and if they fail to do so, we will be forced to use the apparatus that we have to move them,” Genesio explained.
“The challenge now is that the police force that we should have had as the state government to maintain law and order is still under training under the unified force, which calls for a voice.” “If the unification of the army is delayed, then the unification of the police should be done.”
He said once the idea has been adopted, the state will issue permits of access to Central Equatoria State, and they will identify strategic grazing areas and that the willing cattle keepers will pay for access to the grazing lands.
“Apart from this taxing, we shall have to give permits to access Central Equatoria and also we intend to identify areas for grazing. Not for every community but we are going to start with our communities in Central Equatoria who are rearing cattle,” Genesio said.
He added that: “This should not be taken in a way that we are going to welcome everybody in South Sudan because we have cattle that outnumber the human population of South Sudan.
“We will only begin from Central Equatoria and it will be a model [because] now that we need more revenue, we can invite more communities to bring cattle.”
Curbing bloodshed
The decision comes days after the Vice President for Economic Cluster, Dr James Wani Igga, promised to evict cattle herders intimidating farmers in the Equatoria region.
Dr Igga made the promise during the funeral rites of Aluzai Mogga, saying the cattle keepers would be removed to free the farmers in the areas of Lobonok, Magwi, Kajo Keji and Nimule.
“They must go away from Lobonok, Magwi, all. Tomorrow (Monday), I will go there to see what the issue is,” Dr Igga said.
Last week, the Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), Edmund Yakani, raised the alarm of looming confrontation among herders and farming communities of Magwi County and those living along the Juba-Nimule highway.
Yakani called on President Salva Kiir to intervene and bring an end to the conflict between pastoralists and the local communities.
“I want to call on His Excellency, the President of the Republic of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, to intervene in the alarming situation between the pastoralists and farmers in Eastern Equatoria and part of Central Equatoria,” said Yakani.
