Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on Tuesday, February 27, 2024.
ACT Wazalendo holds a historic intra-party public debate of its youth wing candidates
ACT Wazalendo has carried out a public debate of its youth wing leadership candidates. In Tanzania, this is the first of its kind especially to be run at the party level. Majority of the debates in the past involved presidential candidates and members of parliament.
There were four candidates in the debate which was held at the Hakainde Hichilema Hall at the party head office, this included the incumbent Abdul Nondo, Petro Ndolezi, Ruqayya Nassir, and Julius Massabo.
Candidates were able to share their experience in the party, and their programs if they got elected to the post as well as their understanding of the current political context and programs they will undertake at the national level. The party will continue with the debates today covering aspirants of the women’s wing.
CHADEMA concludes its demonstration in Tanzania’s main cities. Mtwara declaration to follow
Drenched by the rain, with swollen feet and committed spirits CHADEMA has concluded its demonstration covering four major cities. The demonstrations started in the heat of Dar es Salaam and went on to Mwanza, Mbeya, and concluded yesterday in Arusha with heavy rain pouring. These demonstrations covered a total of 169 Kilometers in the four regions.
“We’re demonstrating not because it’s some luxury, this so to send message to the rulers that people are in pain and we are representing the majority of the Tanzanians,” said Freeman Mbowe the Chairperson of CHADEMA.
The main message of the CHADEMA demonstration is to push back against cosmetic reforms in the electoral systems and the rising cost of living.
In yesterday’s protest, CHADEMA took on several issues including the ongoing sugar shortage, the CHADEMA Vice Chairperson, Tundu Lissu accused CCM’s businessmen as the beneficiaries of the crisis saying that they will bank on the crisis and sent a few billion to the party for preparation of election.
The party has also criticized the government’s luxurious spending, Mbowe took time to throw some jabs at the former President.
“[Jakaya] Kikwete was the President of this country over ten years ago, but when President Samia travels, you’ll find Kikwete accompanying her; Kikwete, are you Samia’s assistant? All this adds up to the excessive spending by the government,” argued Mbowe.
Kikwete was recently spotted at the African Union meeting alongside the President, and also at the funeral of the Namibian President, Hage Geingob, who was known to be a close compatriot of President Kikwete. There haven’t been any other recent or past travels of the president that involved Kikwete.
CHADEMA has announced that they will have a few days of the central committee meeting in Mtwara where they will come up with the Mtwara declaration, a declaration which the Chairperson has hinted that it will be a declaration of action.
Lowassa: The System and the lesson that the opposition never learned
Following the demise of former Prime Minister Edward Lowassa, many things have been spoken, mostly good, but one thing that stood out was his 2015 attempt at the presidency.
As a magician of politics, this final act of his time remained historical. It was also a headline at his funeral, with the opposition party CHADEMA feeling that this part of history was omitted and the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM), through its national chairperson Samia Suluhu Hassan, arguing otherwise.
One clear thing with Lowassa is that unlike some of his predecessors who also changed political parties, he has become a revered figure by many.
In many conversations about his final act of politics, ‘the system’ was mentioned many times. For example, an X post by Anna Tibaijuka, former cabinet minister, recounted her conversation with Edward Lowassa in 2015.
“When your name was axed, I asked you to stay in CCM; the system can’t allow somebody to be declared a winner if they are from the opposition,” Tibaijuka wrote. “You replied that you understand this, but you will not allow abuse against you to continue.”
But what is ‘the system,’ and who is ‘the system’? Read the full analysis here
Police in Lindi accused of covering up child sexual abuse scandal involving its officer
Police in Lindi are under pressure to arrest a member of the law enforcement agency who’s accused of raping a 13-year-old girl, with many accusing police of trying to cover the scandal up and shield its officer from accountability.
The officer, identified as Madushi Mhogota Ng’wala, who worked at the gender desk of the Liwale District Police Post, reportedly raped the Standard Six girl from one of Liwale’s public schools, causing panic and anger amongst parents and other community members, who now call for the officer’s arrest.
According to reports, Ng’wala allegedly raped the girl on the evening of February 18, 2024, when she was leaving home for a neighbouring house where she was going to sleep. Ng’wala reportedly snatched the girl, and led her to the bush and forced himself into her.
Her family learned later in the morning after the mother noticed blood dripping from between her daughter’s legs, which led to the girl recounting her last night’s ordeal with the police officer. The mother said it was her daughter who revealed the name of her alleged rapist.
Hidaya Chikawe is a legal aid coordinator with the Liwale Women Paralegal Aid and Unity (LIWOPAU) who told The Chanzo that police must apprehend Ng’wala and bring him to justice to express their commitment to ending child abuse in the district. Read the full story here
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One Response
I note you haven’t mentioned the historic opening of the SGR from Dar to Morogoro.
The government and the independent media have given widely differing versions of the time it took the train to reach Morogoro. Are you planning to investigate?