Dar es Salaam. Your life can flip in a matter of seconds, a popular American phrase that couldn’t be more fitting than in the case of Theopista Mallya, who slept as the Dodoma Regional Police Commander on Sunday, but hours in the next day she was no longer with the title.
The senior assistant commissioner of police reportedly told Mwananchi newspaper on Sunday that the victim in a highly popularised gang rape case whose name is being held was likely a sex worker, citing ongoing findings from ongoing police investigations into the matter, ruffling feathers among members of the general public, leading to her dethronement.
Six people, allegedly some were officers from Tanzania People’s Defense Force (TPDF), reportedly gang-raped the girl, a resident of Temeke, Dar es Salaam, while recording their heinous crime in the video. Allegedly carrying the order of a senior female officer in the Police Force, who accused the girl of having affairs with her husband, the men abused the girl in Dodoma, causing a public uproar after the video leaked to the public.
Mallya, then Dodoma police boss, told Mwananchi that nobody ordered the men, four of them brought to court on Monday while two remain awol, to carry out the crime, describing them as “drunkards and marijuana smokers.” But her remarks that the alleged victim was likely a sex worker fell on angry ears, and as soon as the sunrise on Monday, things started to go haywire.
Users on social media platform X started reacting to the story, with many mentioning the minister responsible for gender, Dorothy Gwajima, in their condemnation of Mallya’s alleged characterisation of the girl as a potential sex worker. The messages of anger, frustration and dissatisfaction flowed like a river, and by 10:38 AM, the minister was forced to issue a statement.
“I’ve received your feelings, views and questions you’ve directed to me [regarding this matter],” Dr Gwajima, recognised for her proper engagement with Tanzanians on social media, wrote. “I’ve communicated with the home affairs minister [Hamad Masauni], who has confirmed that he is working on it. Let’s allow him some time, and he will release his statement.”
While waiting, many people took to social media, including Instagram, to complain about the gang rape incident and authorities’ handling of it, demanding police prioritise the safety of people, including those of women. Political parties, human rights organisations, a network of women members of parliament, artists and individuals joined voices to demand accountability.
“As a rape survivor, it’s so triggering to see yet another perpetrator go free,” Carol Ndosi, a media personality and women’s rights activist, said in an X post. “I cannot begin to explain how painful it is. But, we are not what happened to us. We are what we can be. I stand with you, girl. Wherever you are, sending you love and light.”
“I feel rage,” a renowned feminist and social justice activist, Mwanahamisi Singano, said in an X post. “The rage I’m experiencing right now is just too much.” She represented the feelings many others were experiencing towards what many perceived as impunity for people involved in human rights violations in the country.
At 12:45 PM, police issued a statement announcing that the inspector-general of police (IGP), Camillus Wambura, had removed Mallya as Dodoma regional police commander and replaced her with George Katabazi. Police spokesperson David Misime said the move was part of the ongoing investigation to determine whether Mallya had indeed made the characterisation many had associated with her.
Police claimed that Mallya did not say the victim of rape was likely a sex worker. Instead, the law enforcement agency noted that the journalist had raised the characterisation as a question, asking Mallya to confirm it. Mallya neither confirmed nor denied it, noting that she didn’t deserve the treatment she was subjected to regardless of who she was, police explained.
As discussions continued to rage, reports started circulating that police in the capital, Dodoma, finally produced four people connected to the incident before the Integrated Justice Centre at the High Court in the city, ready to face accountability for their actions that caused much anger and disgust among Tanzanians.
The police produced Clinton Honest Damas, alias Nyundo, Amin Lord Lema, Nickson Idala Jackson, and Playgod Edwin Mushi before the court. Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Renatus Mkude told journalists outside the court premises that the case shall be heard for five consecutive days from August 19 to August 23, 2024.
Many will follow this case with great interest to see if, this time, a victim of a crime involving alleged members of the country’s security organs will get justice. Many perceive that there is little to no accountability for members of the country’s security forces involved in acts of human rights violations.
