Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on Wednesday, January 12, 2022.

Tanzania bids farewell to five journalists who died in car crash 

Minister for Information, Communication and Technologies Nape Nnauye on Wednesday took part in a function to bid farewell to five journalists who died following a grisly crash that took place in the Nyamikoma area of Busega District, Simiyu region, South East of Lake Victoria.

The journalists include Abel Ngapemba, who worked as Mwanza region information officer; Steven Msengi, Ukerewe district information officer; Johari Shani, a reporter with Uhuru Digital, Antony Chuwa a freelancer reporter and ITV Tanzania reporter Husna Mlanzi.

They are among the 14 people who died on Tuesday when the car they were in crashed with a Toyota Hiace, a passengers’ bus. The deceaseds were a part of the Mwanza regional commissioner Robert Gabriel’s entourage.

In a farewell ceremony that took place in Mwanza, Mr Nnauye said directed the companies that the journalists were working for to pay what they owe to the journalists, following a concern raised by journalists’ representatives who claimed that some of the journalists who died had not been paid for two years.

“I’m giving seven days to employers to settle their debts that are due to journalists who died [on the accident],” ordered Mr Nnauye who was appointed recently to head the docket. 

He said there should be no excuse for failing to do so, saying he will follow up closely on how his directive is being implemented.

Samia holds talks with estranged Ndugai

President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Wednesday met and held talks with Mr Job Ndugai, six days since the Kongwa MP (Chama cha Mapinduzi – CCM) resigned as Speaker of Parliament. 

The State House said in a statement it posted on Twitter yesterday that President Samia, who was in Zanzibar to mark the 58th anniversary of the Zanzibar Revolution, met Mr Ndugai in the Chamwino State House, in the capital Dodoma.

The statement did not say what dominated the two’s conversation. It may be, however, the meeting is President Samia’s personal initiative to reach out to Mr Ndugai in order to work out the differences that arose between them recently over the appropriate to run the country.

The relationship between the two worsened recently following Mr Ndugai’s decision to criticise President Samia’s government over its decision to continue borrowing from international lenders to fund its development programs.

In his statement, Mr Ndugai warned against the danger of Tanzania being auctioned off for failing to pay back its loans. He also told people that they have an option in the 2025 general election of either voting for people who borrow or those who fund their development activities using money that has been locally sourced.

Ndugai’s statement nevertheless made him the target of much criticism from every corner of the country, including from his own CCM, the government as well as members of the opposition.

He was told he lacks the moral authority to criticise the government’s borrowing habit because he never made that warning during John Magufuli’s administration. He was accused of targetting Samia as a person under the guise of borrowing.

Facing pressure, Ndugai came out and rendered an apology to President Samia, saying though his statements were “twisted and taken out of context,” he took full responsibility for his statements and that he was sorry about that.

But one day after Ndugai’s apology, President Samia reproved Mr Ndugai over his borrowing remarks, saying she did not expect to see someone like him saying something like that.

President Samia dismissed Ndugai’s concerns on borrowing as illegitimate, saying it has much to do with what she called “2025 [general election] stress.”

Samia’s apparent refusal to accept Mr Ndugai’s apology opened the room for people from within CCM, the government and the parliament to call for the latter’s resignation.

On January 6, 2022, Mr Ndugai gave out a statement saying that he was resigning from his position as Speaker of the Parliament, calling the decision “personal and voluntary.” 

In search for Speaker of Parliament: former AG Chenge enters the fray

The search for the person who will be the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM)’s candidate in the contest for the position of Speaker of Parliament continues with several other people coming out to pick CCM’s nomination forms yesterday.

This includes former Bariadi West MP (CCM) Andrew Change who collected the nomination form at CCM’s Lumumba office in Dar es Salaam. Unlike other contestants who speak to the press immediately after collecting forms, Mr Chenge said he preferred not to say anything.

Others who collected nomination forms on Wednesday include Barua Mwakilanga, Zohoro Hanuna and George Nangale. Together, they make the list of CCM cadres who seek their party’s nomination to vie for the post to 20, which include deputy speaker Tulia Ackson and former First-Vice President of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) Stephen Masele.

Apart from serving as Attorney General, Mr Chenge has also served as a cabinet minister as well as presiding chairperson of the parliament.

He resigned on April 20, 2008, as Minister for Infrastructure after it was revealed that he holds over Sh1 billion in an overseas offshore account, as kickbacks from a controversial military radar deal between UK’s BAE Systems and Tanzania government that he partly oversaw while serving as Attorney-General.

A Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) investigation into the matter, however, concluded that Chenge was not involved with the radar scandal.

Airtel Tanzania announces appointment of new managing director

Telecommunications services company Airtel Tanzania on Wednesday announced the appointment of the new company’s managing director Dinesh Balsingh.

The appointment of Mr Balsingh, a sales and marketing professional with over 20 years of experience within the telecoms industry, follows the resignation of Mr George Mathen who was leading the company for two and half years.

“During his tenure, Mr Mathen has managed to transform the company and yield fantastic results,” said the company in a statement. “With a great turnaround that has seen Airtel Tanzania becoming profitable and winning the 2nd spot by customer market share, that created a strong dividend-paying Company for its Shareholders.”

Writing about its new managing director, Airtel Tanzania said that Balsingh started his career with Hutchison Essar Ltd in 2000 before moving to Airtel in 2006 and Tata Docomo in 2011.

He later rejoined Airtel in Nigeria where he delivered significant market share growth in his role as a chief commercial officer, the company said.

He holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Thiagarajar School of Management.

Balsingh’s appointment starts immediately, the company said.

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