South Sudan’s Minister of Finance says the country has run out of money and cannot pay its Public Servants.
Government workers last received their salaries in April.
The Minister, Salvatore Garang Mabior was appearing before the National Assembly’s Business Committee to explain why the Government has not paid Public Servants for nearly five months.
Mr Mabior said the COVID-19 lockdown had devastated the global economy, including crude oil prices and revenue from South Sudan’s oil production.
“After the price of oil on international markets plummeted, South Sudan’s production level dropped from about 250,000 barrels a day to around 170,000 barrels per day in March,” Mr Mabior said.
He said more than 19 institutions had yet to remit revenues to the National Revenue Authority, money the Government relied on to pay Public Servants’ salaries.
Government employees told journalists they are finding it more and more difficult to feed their families as their savings dwindled and commodity prices skyrocketed.
Fouzia Lukadi (53) who lives in a suburb of the capital, Juba, says she wakes every day at 6am to go to the market where she buys food, then resells it in front of her house to earn money to feed her children.
“We are suffering and trying our best to help our children,” Ms Lukadi said.
“Surviving is really hard, but we are struggling. All of us are now selling things in the markets, selling small goods such as tomatoes, onions, and sweet potatoes to help the family,” she said.
Another Public Servant, Juma Abdullah says he used the last of his savings to buy a motorcycle and now works as a taxi driver.
He said many Public Servants were now working a second job to put food on the table.
Juba, 17 September 2020
