Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania over the weekend.
All Eyes on Kisutu as Tundu Lissu’s Treason Case Resumes
The treason case against the leader of Tanzania’s main opposition party, CHADEMA, is expected to be heard today, Monday, June 2, 2025, at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court before Principal Resident Magistrate-in-Charge, Franco Kiswaga.
The CHADEMA chairman is facing two charges at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court: treason and publishing false information. The treason case is currently at the committal stage at Kisutu, after which it will be transferred to the High Court for trial.
The case was last adjourned on May 19, 2025, after the prosecution informed the court that the investigation was in its “final stage,” a statement the court deemed “insufficient to assist the court.”
Meanwhile, the Judiciary of Tanzania has issued a statement indicating that criminal case numbers 8606/2025 and 8607/2025 between the Republic and Tundu Anthipas Lissu, which are scheduled for mention today, will be broadcast live to the public through the Judiciary’s official online platforms.
According to a statement issued by the Head of the Information, Education and Communication Unit of the Judiciary of Tanzania, Gerard Julius Chami, the goal is to enable citizens to follow the case from wherever they are, without needing to attend court in person, due to limited courtroom space which can accommodate only 80 people.
“Therefore, the available seats will be allocated as follows: 10 places for state attorneys and others, 60 for defense attorneys and their associates, and 10 for journalists,” the Judiciary’s statement explained.
CCM MP Bishop Gwajima Vows to Expose Abductions Despite Backlash
Bishop Josephat Gwajima of the Resurrection and Life Church, who also serves as Member of Parliament for Kawe Constituency under the ruling party CCM, has responded to critics of his May 24, 2025 press conference in which he addressed the issue of abductions in Tanzania.
During a sermon held at the Resurrection and Life Church in Ubungo, which was broadcast live on Josephat Gwajima RudishaTv and drew approximately 16,000 concurrent viewers, Bishop Gwajima made strong remarks defending his stance.
The sermon began with the patriotic song Nakupenda Tanzania (‘I Love You, Tanzania’), after which Gwajima reiterated his commitment to fighting abductions. He stated that he would ignore his critics and continue holding press conferences should powerful individuals attempt to silence him through public attacks.
Following his May 24 press conference, Gwajima faced backlash from fellow Members of Parliament and members of the ruling CCM party, many of whom argued that he should have addressed the matter internally through party meetings rather than going public.
As a member of the CCM National Executive Committee, Bishop Gwajima defended his party, stating that abductions are not part of CCM’s policies. However, he alleged that a certain group involved in these acts was doing so for personal gain.
In his sermon, Gwajima continued to express outrage over the abductions, referencing a list of victims he had mentioned during his earlier press conference. He also condemned a recent incident involving Sheikh Jabir Haidar, who was reportedly abducted and later found dead in Zanzibar last week.
Soy (Re)covers Maillu’s Affairs After 4:30
I haven’t read this book, After 4:30, but I promise you, from its cover, it is going to be a story you will love. On the cover, there is a young woman with big hair, big sun goggles and full lips, of course, she is black. The portrait painting is typical of Michael Soy’s style, but neither Soy nor the book’s author, David Maillu, is your typical artist. On June 28, 2025, Mvua Press will re-launch the book with a new cover. I thought I should take the opportunity to give my understanding of Michael Soy’s paintings and why you should, this one time, judge the book by the cover, literally.
For Soy’s portrait to grace Maillu’s book, this is that historic meeting you don’t want to miss out on. Maillu is said to be among, if not the most prolific, writers in Africa. Soy produces art not just for museums and collectors’ worth paintings; his works keep circulating as tote bags and stickers. I don’t know what happened to the condoms, but I have kept the pack from his 2016 Kampala exhibition. On the outside of the book, we have a contemporary painter showing us the face of an African woman, and on the inside, you get the poetic representation of African life. I don’t know if it is paint that bleeds into text or if it is text that has fermented into paint. I just know this is not an everyday artistic experience where you have to many a time to consume visual and literary arts separately.
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One Response
“The sermon began with the patriotic song Nakupenda Tanzania (‘I Love You, Tanzania’)”
The bishop loves Tanzania? Really? Yet he holds high the flag of a foreign country – Israel.
Do they pay him? Is he their ambassador? Their puppet?
In the mosque you will not see a flag of Saudi Arabia, or of India in Hindu and Sikh temple, or of Iran in Shia mosque. So why Israel flag of a genocide regime whose prime minister has arrest warrant from ICC?