Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on September 05, 2024. 

A ‘senior’ accused of ordering people to defile ‘Yombo girl’ appears in court, case postponed

The case No. 23627, filed by advocate Paul Kisabo against Fatma Kigondo, who is accused of sending the perpetrators in the gang-rape case, has been postponed to October 7, 2024, after the magistrate assigned to hear the case was transferred to a different location.

Speaking to reporters on September 5, 2024, outside the Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dodoma, Mr Kisabo explained that the postponement was due to the transfer of the magistrate assigned to the case. The case has not yet been assigned to a new magistrate.

The complaint against Fatma stems from Criminal Case No. 23476 of 2024, which is still ongoing and involves four defendants accused of gang rape and sodomy of a young girl from Yombo Dovya, Dar es Salaam. Fatma Kigondo is alleged to have ordered the perpetrators to commit the crime.

The accused were first brought before the court on Monday, August 19, 2024, and were charged with gang rape and sodomy of the girl, who was identified in court by the initials XY. They pleaded not guilty.

In the ongoing closed-door trial, the accused include officers from the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF), MT 140105 Clinton Damas, also known as Nyundo, Prison Officer C.1693 Praygod Mushi, Nickson Jackson, nicknamed Machuche, and Amin Lema, also known as Kindamba. 

The four were brought to court after a video emerged showing them committing acts of rape and sodomy against a girl who identified herself as being from Yombo, Dar es Salaam. The incident reportedly took place in the Swaswa area of Dodoma in May 2024.

“Perhaps by October 7, the case will have been assigned to a new magistrate,” Mr Kisabo thought. “But today, the officer showed up in court.”

Kigondo obeyed the court summons and appeared on September 5, 2024, after failing to attend the previous summons scheduled for August 23.

 Court denies bail for CHADEMA member Kombo Mbwana

The Tanga District Court has denied bail to Kombo Mbwana, a CHADEMA party member, after several days of deliberation. The decision came in response to police requests to keep Mbwana in custody, citing ongoing investigations and concerns that granting him bail could interfere with the process.

Principal Magistrate Moses Maroa made the decision to deny bail on Thursday, September 5, 2024.

Kombo, who serves as the Secretary of the CHADEMA youth wing BAVICHA in Handeni, Tanga, faces a criminal charge related to the use of communication equipment, specifically an unregistered mobile SIM card.

In Criminal Case No. 19759 of 2024, Kombo is accused of failing to provide sufficient information regarding his SIM card account, contrary to Section 126 of the Electronic and Postal Communications Act.

Before the case was filed, Kombo had disappeared on June 15, 2024, after being abducted by unknown individuals from his home in Kwamsala village in the region and taken to an unknown location. On July 14, 2024, 29 days later, police in Tanga announced they were holding him on suspicion of the offence, and on July 16, 2024, he was brought to court.

On July 30, 2024, the day the case was mentioned, his lawyers and family were prepared to meet the bail conditions, but the Regional Crime Officer (RCO) submitted an affidavit to block the bail, a move opposed by the defence lawyers.

The RCO explained in the affidavit that investigations were still ongoing and that they expected to add more defendants in the case, which involved defendants located in various parts of the country.

Magistrate Maroa then revoked the bail conditions and scheduled a hearing for the police request to deny bail on August 12, 2024, instructing the defence to file a counter-affidavit before that date.

The prosecution argued that the RCO wanted the defendant to be denied bail because he could interfere with the ongoing investigation. It was also claimed that Kombo faced other charges filed in Dodoma and Morogoro, and if released on bail, he could communicate with his co-accused and disrupt the investigation.

In his ruling, Magistrate Maroa agreed with the prosecution’s arguments, ruling that Kombo should be denied bail because he could interfere with the investigation. He ordered that Kombo be remanded until the investigation is completed, at which point he may be granted bail if he applies for it. The case was adjourned until September 12, 2024, for mention.

Tanzania: Towards a joint opposition against CCM in 2025?

Opposition ACT-Wazalendo has expressed willingness to form a joint opposition with CHADEMA, Tanzania’s main opposition party, against the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) in the 2025 general elections, but CHADEMA says attention should first be paid to the November civic elections.

Senior ACT-Wazalendo officials have recently made public statements stating that the current political and security situations in the country, including the failure of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s reconciliation and reform agenda, force the opposition to stand together to save the country from another CCM administration after 2025.

ACT-Wazalendo, also a partner in the ruling Government of National Unity (GNU) in Zanzibar, also cites the deterioration of the safety and security of Tanzanians, particularly those in the opposition and critical of the government, which involves incidents of enforced disappearances, in its pitch for the joint opposition in 2025.

Ado Shaibu, the party’s secretary general, told The Chanzo during an exclusive interview on August 30, 2024, that ACT-Wazalendo was willing to join forces with CHADEMA in 2025 to take on CCM, adding that the two parties have already commenced conversation around the topic.

Full story here.

Babu Duni: ACT-Wazalendo honours one of the most iconic figures in Tanzania’s history of political liberalisation

Opposition ACT-Wazalendo party made history Wednesday by probably becoming the first political party in Tanzania to honour one of its leaders and their contribution to the party and the country while they were still alive.

The party, also a partner in the ruling Government of National Unity (GNU) in the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, decided to honour its former national chairperson Juma Duni Haji, intending to influence a cultural shift in the way political parties in Tanzania express appreciation for their leaders, officials, and members.

Numerous activities accompanied the function at the well-decorated and attended Majid Hall in the Kiembe Samaki town of Zanzibar. These include an awards ceremony, where ACT-Wazalendo members presented whatever they could to Mr Duni, popularly known as Babu Duni, as a token of appreciation for his contribution to the party and the country.

Full story here.

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