The Predator in Disguise: The Allegory of Wun-Weng and the Lion in South Sudan
By Morris Kuol Yoll, Calgary, Canada
Friday, 29 August 2025 (PW) — Wunweng owned a cow. It was her pride, her livelihood, her symbol of sustenance. But one day, the cow was attacked, killed, and devoured, not by strangers, but by lions. These lions did not act alone. They hunted in a pride, coordinated and territorial, each member playing a distinct role in the kill. The metaphor is clear: the cow is the government, and the lions are the political and commercial elite who feed off it.
In the wild, lions live in structured societies. The males guard the pride and its territory, much like presidents, vice presidents, and top officials protect their power and influence. The lionesses are the primary hunters, ministers, undersecretaries, and directors who pursue opportunities, contracts, and control. Male lions may join the hunt, especially when the prey is large, like a buffalo, or in this case, a major government asset. Their strength is used to bring down the target, but they eat first, satisfying their hunger before the lionesses and cubs are allowed to feed.
This mirrors the hierarchy of exploitation. The president, vice presidents, ministers, directors, and their families, lobbyists, and business allies form a pride that feeds off the government. The irony is sharp: those entrusted with protecting the cow are the very ones devouring it.
Even more unsettling is the role of Wunweng. She owns the cow, and she is also being trained by the pride: she is a lioness. Like lion cubs introduced to green pastures, watering holes, and hunting trails, Wunweng is shown where the government’s cash flows, markets, budgets, and hidden channels. She learns to lay low, observe, and strike when the moment is right. Wunweng is no longer just a passive owner. She is a potential hunter, groomed to join the pride. In the case she is in Juba markets, and she is a formidable player in Konyokonyo markets in Juba.
Wunweng embodies a dangerous paradox: she is both victim and apprentice, owner and predator. She is being taught not how to protect the cow, but how to consume it. This allegory reveals a deeper truth about systemic corruption. Those who are meant to serve the public often become its exploiters. And those who enter the system with good intentions may be seduced by its rituals, trained to hunt rather than heal.
The question remains: can someone, the lioness in her rights, raised among lions choose not to hunt the cow? The Princess, Adut Kiir is a lioness, she is a born and raised by the lion fathers, mothers, aunties, uncles, etc. Oh boy, the country and its peoples are duped!
Morris K. Yoll is a South Sudanese Canadian. He could be reached at [email protected].
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