Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania over the weekend.
A CCM cadre in Zanzibar has been missing for two years. Now, his family demands answers
The family of a veteran Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) member Juma Juma Makame who has been missing for a period of more than two years is demanding answers from law enforcement organs in Zanzibar, saying the silence has been “long and worrying.”
Makame went missing on August 19, 2020, almost two months before the general election, when he went out for his usual exercise, which involved jogging and swimming, in Mazizini, a suburb of Unguja town, leaving his family, friends and loved ones grieving.
Makame, who on February 2, 2023, would have celebrated his 66th birthday, mysteriously disappeared after coming second in the CCM internal race to seek the party’s candidate for the House of Representative’s post for Chaani constituency, a town in the northern part of Unguja island.
Makame’s disappearance happened against the background of reports of foul play in the intra-party election which involved a total of nine candidates that forced Makame to express an interest to appeal the results that gave Nadir Abdullatif Yussuf Alwardy, the now Chaani member of the House of Representatives, the victory.
Makame’s family told The Chanzo that they have decided to speak up about the fate of their loved one because they think they have been receiving less cooperation from relevant authorities with regard to his whereabouts.
“Everything is possible if the government decides so,” Fatma Juma Makame, Makame’s sister, told The Chanzo during an interview. “We believe the reason why we know nothing about my brother’s fate is that the government has not prioritized the issue.”
That this can happen to a man who has been in the government working as a civil servant for so many years does not make any sense to Fatma, a situation she considers to be “extremely unfair.”
“My brother was a good and hardworking civil servant for almost all his adult life,” Fatma went on. “How come the government he dutifully served does not prioritize his disappearance? I don’t think this is fair at all.”
Asked if the police were aware of the case, Zanzibar Assistant Police Commissioner Richard Tadei Mchomvu told The Chanzo that the police is aware of the case, noting that it is still under investigation.
“We are still searching for the said person in different areas,” Mchomvu noted during an interview. “However, our efforts so far have not borne any fruit. But we proceed with our investigation and we will update the public once new information is obtained.”
Full story here.
EAC Heads of State call for ‘immediate ceasefire’ in eastern DRC
The East African Community (EAC) Heads of State on Sunday described the deteriorating security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a “regional matter,” that can only be sustainably resolved through a political process.
In their 20th extraordinary meeting which took place on February 4, 2023, in the Burundian capital of Bujumbura, the Heads of State “emphasised the need for enhanced dialogue among all the parties,” according to the communique.
According to a report by Al Jazeera, the M23 rebel group has seized large areas of eastern DRC’s North Kivu province in a rapid onslaught since October 20 that has threatened the provincial capital, Goma.
The conflict has inflamed regional tensions with the DRC accusing neighbour Rwanda of backing and sponsoring the Tutsi-led rebellion, the broadcaster added in its report.
United Nations experts and Western powers have also accused Rwanda of backing the M23. Rwanda has denied any involvement.
During their meeting on Sunday, the EAC Heads of State demanded an “immediate ceasefire” and “withdrawal of all foreign armed groups” from the area.
The Heads of State directed all troop-contributing countries to immediately deploy their troops.
They called on all parties in the conflict to respect and implement the decisions of the summit and obligations agreed upon in the previous meetings.
“The summit reiterated its call to all parties to de-escalate tensions and to use established regional, continental and international mechanisms to resolve any disputes in the implementation of peace in eastern DRC,” read the joint communique in part.
Deadly road accident kills 17 in Tanga
A total of 17 passengers were reported died on Saturday and 12 others were injured after a commuter bus transporting mourners to Kilimanjaro to burry their kin collided with a lorry at Magila Gerezani, Segera in Korogwe, Tanga.
Tanga regional commissioner Omar Mgumba was quoted by the media as saying the horrific accident occurred at around 4:30 am with the high speed named as the source of the accident.
Mgumba said the lorry driver wasn’t cautious enough when he blindly decided to overtake another vehicle
According to reports, 10 survivors were rushed to Bombo Regional Referral Hospital and the other two are being treated at Korogwe District Hospital.
In her condolences message on Saturday, President Samia Suluhu Hassan said she was “saddened” by the report of the accident, saying in a Twitter post: “I pray that our fellows rest in a good place and wish (survivors) a quick recovery.”
According to the Global Status Report on road safety by the World Health Organisation (WHO), road accidents account for 6.12 per cent of total deaths in Tanzania, with an actual count of around 18,054 deaths per year.
Tanzania also loses approximately 3.4 per cent of its GDP in caring for traumatised victims and burying casualties, according to analyses by the Global Road Safety Partnership (GSRP) and the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC).
Dreamliner on route to Zanzibar returns to Warsaw after fault discovered
Polish flag bearer LOT Polish Airlines’ Dreamliner on a flight from Warsaw to Zanzibar on Sunday was turned back after developing a fault and landed safely at Chopin Airport in the Polish capital.
According to reports by Polish media, the plane was turned back after entering Bulgarian airspace, the reason was identified as a fault in the indicators of the anti-icing system.
LOT spokesman Krzysztof Moczulski was quoted as saying the same plane continued on its flight to Zanzibar after the defect was repaired.
Earlier, on Saturday, due to a failure of the so-called artificial horizon backup system, a Dreamliner flying to New York was diverted to Chopin Airport, Polish media reported.
The machine was turned back while flying over the Baltic Sea close to Sweden.
This is it for today and we hope you enjoyed our briefing. Please consider subscribing to our newsletter (see below) or following us on Twitter (here) as that is the best way to make sure you do not miss any of these briefings. And in case you have any questions or comments, please consider dropping a word to our editors at editor@thechanzo.com.
One Response
“According to the Global Status Report on road safety by the World Health Organisation (WHO), road accidents account for 6.12 per cent of total deaths in Tanzania, with an actual count of around 18,054 deaths per year. Tanzania also loses approximately 3.4 per cent of its GDP in caring for traumatised victims and burying casualties, according to analyses by the Global Road Safety Partnership (GSRP) and the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC)”.
Yet at the funeral Mufti said it is act of God and we humans should not complain. Perhaps he should also say this act of God only applies to Tanzania and not to other countries with better transport infrastructures and better inspection of vehicles and drivers !