Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on April 09, 2025
Tanzania’s opposition leader Tundu Lissu arrested in Mbinga, Southern Tanzania
Tundu Lissu, leader of Tanzania’s main opposition party, CHADEMA, was arrested in Mbinga, Ruvuma Region, in southern Tanzania, on the evening of April 9, 2025.
Lissu had just concluded his second public rally of the day under the party’s “No Reforms, No Election” campaign. As he was wrapping up the event, he informed the crowd that he had been summoned by the police.
The party leaders have highlighted that he was transferred to Dar es Salaam on the same night. Many have linked his arrest with his remarks on April 03, 2025, in Dar es Salaam, when he was speaking to individuals aspiring to compete in the 2025 election. Lissu emphasized that the party meant what it said regarding its no-reform, no election stance.
Read the full article here
Tanzania to connect DR Congo to its fiber optic through Lake Tanganyika
Tanzania’s Prime Minister, Kassim Majaliwa, informed parliament on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, that the country is in the implementation stage of a plan to connect the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to its National ICT Broadband Backbone (NICTBB).
“The government has begun taking steps to implement the construction of a 186-kilometer-long fiber optic cable from Kigoma, Tanzania to Kalemie, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), through Lake Tanganyika,” said Prime Minister Majaliwa.
Majaliwa highlighted that the government has continued to implement the construction of the National ICT Broadband Backbone to cover all Tanzanian districts. So far, a total of 13,820 kilometers out of 16,280 kilometers had been constructed by February 2025, connecting 109 out of 139 districts, along with 111 communication service delivery centers.
It is expected that 186 kilometers of submarine optical fiber cable of single-mode type G652D will be constructed. This is along the Tanzania plans to enhance cross-border connectivity where so far, there is a connection with Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi.
The project comes as the country is also considering extending its Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Kigoma through Burundi, with the potential to connect to eastern DRC, reaching as far as Bukavu.
Australian Firm Marvel Gold meets Tanzanian Minister of Minerals following acquisition of Hanang Gold
Marvel Gold Executive Director Tim Strong met with Tanzania Minister of Minerals Anthony Mavunde on April 9, 2025, to discuss the company’s prospects following the acquisition of the Hanang Gold project.
The company acquired the Hanang Gold project in March 2025 from the Tanzanian-registered Cobra Resources (Majority holder James Edward Armitage and Minority holder Athumani Ramadhani Mpungwe) for a total consideration of USD 200,000.
“The Hanang Gold Project lies within the underexplored Iramba-Sekenke greenstone belt within Nyanzian volcanic rocks, sediments, and BIFs, typical of the Central Craton greenstone belts. There is a significant upside to the Hanang Project, which remains underexplored,” the company highlights in its public release on March 21, 2025. The company also underscored that it had raised USD 4.2 million for the project from institutional investors.
In their meeting with the Minister, Marvel Gold explained that it expects to start a high-resolution drone-borne magnetic survey in September 2025. For his part, Mavunde emphasized the importance of the company staying true to its commitment.
Committee formed to advise Tanzanian government on small-scale miners’ empowerment
The Ministry of Minerals has announced the formation of a seven-member committee to advise the government on the empowerment of small-scale miners in the country.
The committee is chaired by Victor Tesha, Vice Chairperson of the Federation of Miners Associations of Tanzania. The secretary of the committee is Dr. Abdulrahman Mwanga, the Mining Commissioner. Other members include Theobald Sabi, Managing Director of the National Bank of Commerce; Dr. Mussa Budeba, CEO of the Geological Survey of Tanzania; Hadija Ramadhani, a lawyer from the Mining Commission; Dr. Theresia Numbi, a lawyer and local content expert; and a financial consultant introduced by the Ministry only as Ivan.
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Crying for the Delta people in Rufiji: A real nightmare awakens
The story of what is happening in the Rufiji River Delta today could be told from any point in time. I have chosen to begin in the early 1990s, not because that’s where the delta’s story begins, but because it marks a significant turning point from a socio-ecological angle —one that carries echoes of the past and warnings for the future.
Back then, historical floods had pushed freshwater deeper into the delta, transforming the mangrove-lined wetlands into expansive plains perfect for paddy rice. Delta residents responded with ingenuity and labour. Fields flourished. Stilt houses, locally known as madungu, were constructed from which farmers would watch over their fields avoiding flooding waters and man-eating lions. The delta fed its people. The people shaped their delta. A tough but imperfectly harmonious nature-culture co-existence was evident.
“I remember when rice grew taller than a man’s waist,” Mzee Rashid* told me as we conversed beneath coconut palm trees in Nyamisati village. “We didn’t have much, but we had enough.”
Read the full article here.
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