Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania over the weekend.
Govt to investigate Karume’s inferno as the fate of more than 3,000 traders remains unknown
The government said on Sunday that it’ll investigate the fire that gutted down the famous market for second-hand clothing items in Dar es Salaam of Karume as the fate of more than 3,500 small traders affected by the inferno remains unknown.
Located at the Mchikichini area in the Dar es Salaam district of Ilala, the Karume Market is famous among Tanzanians of different stripes who frequent it every now and then to obtain quality second-hand clothing items at a price most affordable to them
According to reports, the market started to burn on Saturday night and the fire whose source has remained a matter of controversy claimed about 90 per cent of the market area after the Fire Brigade’s attempts to stop it bore no fruit.
Shortly after visiting the area on Sunday, Dar es Salaam regional commissioner Mr Amos Makalla asked those affected by the inferno to remain calm as authorities are trying to find out what exactly led to the fire outbreak.
Announcing the formation of a task force to investigate the incident, Mr Makalla said: “The task force will be led by Ilala District Commissioner and it will work for 14 days to establish the details and bring light on the root cause of the accident.”
Meanwhile, he said no person will be allowed to conduct any business around the affected area until the government announces otherwise, an announcement that traders protested against, calling it “impossible.”
“How am I going to wait until the completion of the investigation before I can proceed with my activities while I am on a loan that requires I service it every day based on what I earn from my business?” one trader put the question to journalists who gathered at the scene on Sunday.
The Karume fire comes hardly after six months since the fire razed a large part of the famous Kariakoo market on July 10, 2021, also located at Ilala, Dar es Salaam, affecting dozens of businesses that were conducted around and inside the market.
While Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa promised that the government would make the report findings on the Kariakoo fire incident public, no such thing has happened until the time of writing.
Not only were the report findings not made public, but Tanzanians also have so far not even been informed of what actually transpired on that fateful day of July 10 when dreams and hopes of hundreds of small-scale traders were shattered and their future redefined.
Taskforce formed to investigate tourism’s contribution to TZ’s GDP
Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Dr Damas Ndumbaro revealed on Saturday that his docket was conducting a study to establish the contribution that Tanzania’s tourism sector is making to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Jointly conducted by the ministry and the Open University of Tanzania (OUT), the exercise is part of the government’s plans to increase the productivity of the tourism sector to the state coffers and ensure all the development targets are realised. It will be carried for four months.
According to the minister, the sector’s contribution to GDP right now stands at 21 per cent, noting that the level is low considering the opportunities that the tourism sector offers in promoting economic growth in the country.
Speaking during the launching of the task force, Dr Ndumbaro said the study will also ensure smooth implementation of the Third Five-Year National Development Plan (FYDP III).
As far as the tourism sector is concerned, the FYDP III targets to increase tourism annual growth rate to 2 per cent from the current 1.5 per cent, and the number of tourists from the current 1,527,230 to 5,000,000 by 2025/26.
It was revealed during the launching function that the study will be conducted in all regions of Tanzania Mainland with a population sample of 33,800 households.
A total of 676 researchers will be dispatched to collect data from all districts across the country. The exercise is expected to conclude on April 30, 2022.
Drought kills over 5000 heads of cattle in Kilimanjaro
An official with the Mwanga district in Kilimanjaro region Bwai Bayo told Mwananchi newspaper on Sunday that drought there has been responsible for the deaths of a total of 5,000 heads of cattle, advising pastoralists to sell some of their animals as more severe drought is expected.
Bayo, speaking on behalf of the district’s livestock officer, noted that 2021’s drought has been severer than the one authorities recorded in 2020, saying this is the cause for the deaths of the animals.
“Here at Mwanga [district], 5,000 heads of cattle have died of drought,” Bayo told the paper. “It is important that livestock keepers take prompt actions to prevent more deaths. They can sell some the animals.”
A chairperson with the association of livestock keepers Jeremiah Wambura promised to write to Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa and see what the government can take some immediate steps to save the available livestock from dying of drought.
“The situation is not good at all,” Mwananchi newspaper quoted Mr Wambura as saying. “We must take actions to save the available livestock from dying.
Lightning kills pregnant mother, daughter in Rukwa
Kalambo District Commissioner Tano Mwela said over the weekend that a six months pregnant woman and her 14-year old daughter died instantly on Friday after being struck by lightning.
She named the deceased as Elizabeth Charles (30) and her daughter Grace Machibya (14) who was in standard four.
Five citizens sustained severe injuries from the lightning, Mwela said. They have all been admitted to the Kafukoka dispensary for treatment.
The incident occurred on January 14 at Chese area in Kacheche village, Kisumba Ward in Kalambo District, Rukwa region.
On January 10, 2021, Chunya district commissioner Mayeka Mayeka also reported that four people who were digging a grave for burying their relative died on the previous after they were hit by a lightning strike, leaving one seriously injured.
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One Response
This is public neutering of the two very intelligent Tanzanian men by (Mutukufu) Samia Suluhu Hassan in her attempts to keep her friends CLOSE and her enemies CLOSER.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csh-YEWVqYc
All she did was drop the two men from the two strategic ministries, the Tanzanian CONSTITUTION and Tanzanian LAND resources. Remember, LAND IS WHERE WEALTH and resources to sustain life is located. With land ownership, a human being can survive without being employed by some landlords!
Her moving these two Tanzanians closer to her is merely to keep a close TAB over them or monitor their activities! Why would she want to do that? The death of JPM has not been investigated and cannot be discussed in Tanzania!!
Should there be changes in the Constitution, the current Tanzanian Land LAWS, which have been in the books since 1960s will thoroughly be dismantled. If that happens , who will benefit ? who are the losers?