Stop grumbling and pay your debts, Tanesco told

Energy and Minerals Minister Sospeter Muhongo

Tanesco should honour its contract with power supplier Songas and pay its debts, the government declared yesterday.

Speaking on the phone from Britain, Energy and Minerals Minister Sospeter Muhongo expressed surprise that Tanesco had failed to live up to its obligations. “I know Tanesco has a contract with Songas,” Prof Muhongo told The Citizen. “It should stick to it.”

Tanesco owes Songas Sh80 billion ($51 million) in outstanding bills covering the past six months. Songas has threatened to switch off Tanesco’s power supply if the state-owned firm does not pay up.

Prof Muhongo said the government was not involved in the transaction. “I wonder why the ministry should intervene when the contract is between the two,” he added. “You should go back to Tanesco and they should not escape from their duty…..I do not know how much the public utility owes Songas.”

Songas supplies about a quarter of the electricity Tanesco passes on to its own customers. Should it go ahead with the threat, most of the country will be plunged into darkness. According to Mr Chris Ford, managing director of Songas, the firm needs the money to maintain its facilities and it may have to shut down if it does not receive payment soon.

Tanesco Acting Managing Director Felchismi Mramba admitted that there was an outstanding debt but maintained that some of it had been cleared though he did not have precise figures. He added: “I understand that we have a contract with Songas but it is not proper to talk about the details in the media….we are bound by the contract. It’s true that we owe Songas billions and there is no way we can run away from that fact.”

Since Tanesco has a contract with Songas, Mr Mramba said, the public should not worry. He added: “Things are under control. Tanesco needs services from Songas and, as at yesterday, they were still consuming power from the firm.”

The face-off comes against a backdrop of reports that Tanesco is experiencing a severe financial crisis. There have also been unexplained power cuts lately.

Mr Ford was quoted saying Songas was trying to avoid switching off its plants because it was likely to result in significant disruptions of the power supply and the economy.

Throughout 2011 and 2012, he said, Songas patiently operated its facilities while working with the government and Tanesco to craft a solution to the problem. “Unfortunately,” he added, “the situation has continued to deteriorate and neither the government nor Tanesco can provide any clarity on when Songas can expect to receive any payments or when Tanesco’s financial crisis will be resolved.”

With such high levels of uncertainty on the prospects of receiving money from Tanesco, he explained, Songas was unable to commit to purchasing critical spare parts (many of which require many months to manufacture and deliver) and the safe and reliable operation of Songas’ facilities are now in jeopardy.

“This decision (to suspend operations) is not being taken lightly and Songas has already made the government and Tanesco aware of the situation,” Mr Ford said. Songas also delivers natural gas to another 225MW of additional generating plant (on top of its own 180MW) from the processing plants on SongoSongo Island and through its natural gas pipeline. Power generation from natural gas is less expensive than using liquid fuels.

Seventeen regions are currently served by the national grid and the demand stands at around 800 megawatts. If Songas were to take away 180mw, which is 22.5 per cent of the total generated, regions connected to the national grid would face an acute power shortage. Songas sent out a distress signal in June last year threatening to switch off its plant if Tanesco failed to settle a $30 million (about Sh48 billion) bill for services provided that year. source the Citizen

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Tanzania: CRC Issues Constitutional Assemblies Guidelines

THE Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) has issued guidelines to govern the formation of constitutional assemblies which invite qualified Tanzanians who wish to take part in the fora to lodge their applications with the village executive offices starting March 8, this year.

The district assemblies, according to the Constitutional Review Act, are aimed at collecting public opinions on the Draft Constitution which will be tabled by the CRC. The Commission has planned to conduct the assemblies for three months beginning June, this year.

According to the guidelines published in various newspapers yesterday, the deadline for lodging applications for wananchi from both, Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar, will be March 20, this year. "After the deadline, on March 22, this year, the list of all applicants will be placed openly on notice boards at village offices for Mainland Tanzania and Shehia in Zanzibar," reads part of the guidelines.

The list will stay on the boards for one week until March 28, this year, waiting for meetings to elect prospective members of the fora. According to the guidelines, the village, street and Shehia meetings aimed at electing prospective members of the constitutional assemblies will he held between March 30 and April 3, this year.

Between April 5 and 9 this year, the CRC says in its guidelines, every ward in Mainland Tanzania will conduct its special meeting to elect four members from those proposed from the villages and districts. "In Zanzibar, the meetings to elect three representatives from each Shehia will be held between March 30 and April 3 this year," reads part of the guidelines.

According to the guidelines, after meetings at ward and shehia levels, the list of names elected to join the district constitutional assemblies will be submitted to the respective Director or Secretary of the Local Government Authority between April 13 and 17, this year, for submission to the Secretary of the CRC by April 30 this year.   source Allafrica .com

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FBI to study Zanzibar insecurity

Experts from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the US and Scotland Yard of the UK will conduct a thorough study on the state of security in Zanzibar and advise the government on the best way forward.

      

The Deputy Minister for Home Affairs, Mr Pereira Ame Silima, told reporters in Dar es Salaam that the reputed intelligence units are expected in the country by next month to assist local security organs in getting to the bottom of recent killings of a Roman Catholic Church priest and a Muslim cleric.

He said engagement of the FBI and Scotland Yard operatives was in line with President Jakaya Kikwete’s pledge to hire any potential organ to help restore peace in Zanzibar. He said that apart from conducting investigation and more sophisticated evaluation of the state of crime involving the killing of clerics who provide spiritual services in Zanzibar, the agents will also advise the government on how to go about such occurrences in the future.

“We expect to receive these experts starting next month although we cannot mention their names or number for security reasons. But as a country we are committed to making sure we deal with the matter more effectively,” he said.

Mr Silima’s remarks come shortly after the Commissioner of Police in Zanzibar, Mr Mussa Ali Mussa, raised the same sentiments that some foreign expertise is urgently needed to reinforce operations in detecting criminals in Zanzibar.

Mr Silima said Tanzania was now facing a problem of identifying groups of people increasingly migrating into the country with criminal records from other countries. He called for regional efforts to deal with the situation.

Last week, President Kikwete instructed security officers to work day and night in a quest to apprehend and arraign the criminals who have been causing mayhem killing innocent religious leaders in Zanzibar.

He said the situation will not be tolerated any more. He said this as he presented his message of condolence to the Zanzibar leader of the Catholic Church, Bishop Augustino Shao following the assassination of Fr Evarist Mushi who was killed by unknown assailants on February 17.

The head of state called on the Police Force to make sure they apply all their tactics and capacity to bring the suspects to justice. Mr Silima said yesterday that the job was progressing well. “President Kikwete has made it clear that the country was even ready to part with a substantial amount of money to have this mission accomplished. We are working on this matter with a lot of commitment,” he said.

Meanwhile, Issa Yussuf reports from Zanzibar that while the hunt for the killers of Father Mushi continues, Police in Zanzibar are holding six people in connection with the killing of Sheikh Ali Khamis Ali, 65, last Saturday at Kidoti village, North Unguja, and the theft of computers from the Public Service College, Tunguu.

Commissioner of Police Mussa said yesterday that although it was widely reported that detectives from abroad would come in Zanzibar to join hands in hunt for people behind the murder of Mushi, “the detectives from abroad have not arrived yet.”

“We are continuing with investigations using our experts in the country and we hope to arrest the killers of the priest,” the police commissioner said. He added that several people are still being questioned. Mussa also said that two suspects have been arrested in connection with the killing of Sheikh Ali who was attacked while tending his coconut farm.source 24Tanzania

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Wildlife calving attracts thousands

The whole world seems to be currently gathering in the Serengeti Plains where more than 1.5 million wildebeests are delivering new calves at the rate of 8,000 newborns per day.

A wildebeest mother and calf graze on the grassy plains of Serengeti

Within less than a month, in this same month of February, a record-breaking total of 16,500 tourists, among them 5,800 domestic visitors, with more still coming, are filling the Serengeti plains targeting to witness the amazing wildebeests’ calving season.
Also attending the wildebeests’ mass “jungle reproduction” event are wildlife researchers and zoological scientists from all over the world.
“It is rather a spectacular sighting because this is the only place on earth where nearly two million large herbivores are “giving birth” at the same time and in unison, in what is known as “synchronized calving,” explained Mr William Mwakilema the Conservator at the Serengeti National Park.
One of the visitors, Mr Robert Joseph, who hails from Belgium, said what he has seen was astounding and despite the pictures taken, many people back home may not exactly believe when he recounts the story to them.
The on-going wildebeests’ calving season is expected to progress for the next six weeks at the end of which, nearly 500,000 young calves will be born into the country’s second largest National Park.
Serengeti covers 14,763 square kilometres. Even more enthralling, according to other tourists who are witnessing the event, is the fact that the animals do not even have to lie down but can deliver their babies just as they move about.
Also, once the calves drop from the wombs, it only takes two or three minutes before they start hopping about, running after their mothers. Due to that, even more visitors are landing in the Northern Tourist Circuit to get a piece of the adventure.
“Normally, February is a low tourism season but recording nearly 17,000 visitors in just one month, just goes to show how the world’s and only synchronized calving is creating great interest globally,” stated Mr Paschal Shelutete, the Public Relations Manager for the Tanzania National Parks.
According to Mr Godson Kimaro the Serengeti Senior Park Warden, the plains attract over 350,000 tourists every year and peak tourism season is usually between the months of June and September when the north-bound great migration of the same ungulates usually takes place.
But most of the half-a-million newborn wildebeest calves may not survive the jungle full of hyenas numbering 7,500, lions at 3,000 and leopards, not to mention marauding wild dogs and cheetahs, all of which should be happy to chew the soft and tender bones of the young herbivores.
Mr Seth Mihayo the Tourism Conservator at SENAPA pointed out that half of the newborn wildebeests are likely to die from predator attacks, drowning into the giant Mara River or simply succumb to the hostile elements that accompany the ungulates 1,000 kilometres’ annual migration.
“But it is the way of mother nature balancing the ecosystem because the 2010 animals census indicated that there were 1.5 million wildebeests, which means an increase of 500,000 more ungulates every year could overwhelm the park, therefore natural selection trims the lot to manageable population,” explained Mr Mihayo. source 24Tanzania

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Things getting worse

Dar es Salaam. The quality of life for a large majority of Tanzanians has been growing from bad to worse over the past few years, a situation that poses serious challenges to economic planners and political leaders.

Findings in a recently concluded survey show that hunger, high cost of living, religious conflicts, unemployment and education are key problems the people face today. The survey, launched yesterday by Ipsos-Synovate Tanzania, dubbed “The National Spec Barometer” involved some 2,000 respondents from 23 regions and out of these, 50 per cent said lack of food is the key problem facing them while 44 per cent said high cost of living was their major concern. Some 43 per cent pointed at religious conflicts.

Most Tanzanians, according to the poll, expect the government not only to prioritise basic services and amenities like education; health and water but address religious conflicts as well.
And then, 34 per cent said unemployment was the most serious problem while 30 per cent cited access to quality education as their major problem.

Corruption stood at 23 per cent while 22 per cent said electricity, roads and housing were the biggest issue.
“When observing the trends in 2011 up to now, it is interesting to note that religious conflicts have become a reality for Tanzanians, a concern which was not observed before.” reads the report.
Corruption and inflation which were the key problem in 2011 are currently not perceived as being a key challenge to most Tanzanians.

Asked what issues they think Tanzanians want their leaders to address, over 50 per cent of the respondents said their preferred political parties have not addressed issues that are most close to the people.
Health, education, employment and food security are the key areas which the public believes need to be given attention.

Looking at between 2011 and now, the government performance on key issues has dropped except on the area of the government’s plan to write a new Constitution in which there is a 14 per cent increase in the way the State is perceived to be performing much better.

Inflation and provision of health service are seen as deteriorating quality-wise.
In the 2011 barometer, some 57 per cent of the respondents pointed fingers at poor provision of health services compared to 56 per cent in the latest poll.

Some 47 per cent of the respondents were more concerned about inflation in 2011 compared to 20 per cent this year. The government’s performance in crime control has dropped from 81 per cent in 2011 to 73 per cent in 2012, followed by access to quality education from 70 per cent in 2011 to 66 per cent in 2012.

Asked how they approve the overall performance of most of the public institutions in the last months of 2012,the respondents said the performance approval rank of key institution in the country remained basically constant but with a tendency to decline rather than increase. The government rating stood at 77 per cent in 2012 compared to 81 per cent in 2011, The President’s Office performed a little better in 2012 with 79 percent against 76 rating in 2011.

The Prime Minister’s Office performance declined from 84 per cent in 2011 to 78 per cent in 2012 while the Vice-President’s Office went up a little, from 61 per cent in 2011 to 67 per cent in 2012 while the performance of the Speaker of the National Assembly moved from 62 per cent in 2011 to 69 per cent in 2012.

People’s trust in Parliament has remained almost constant with 78 per cent in 2011 against 77 in 2012. Trust in MPs remained the same at 59 per cent while trust in courts plunged from 55 per cent in 2011 to 50 per cent in 2012.Trust in media also tumbled from 87 per cent in 2011 to 85 per cent in 2012 while only 49 per cent of the respondents in 2012 approved the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) compared to 51 in 2011.
At least 70 per cent of the respondents approved local government authority in 2012 compared to 64 per cent in 2011.

Asked if the level of corruption in Tanzania has changed in the past six months, 4 out of 10 Tanzanians are of the opinion that corruption in the country has increased while 30 per cent believed it has remained the same.
On average, government institutions and key personalities commitment to fight against corruption have not changed from 2011.

The Police and the Judiciary have the lowest scores in commitment against corruption
Police take the crown for the institution is perceived to be most corrupt with 33 per cent saying it is rotten while courts and the health sector come closely second at 16 per cent.

“At least 53 per cent of Tanzanians are aware of the Lake Nyasa dispute pitting Tanzania and Malawi.
Over 90 per cent of the public is satisfied with how the dispute was resolved,” says the pollster.
Compared to 2011, all political parties have lost out on affinity with the general public, There is an increase on non-commital persons from 2 per cent in 2011 to 12 per cent in 2012, which have no allegiance to any party.

The number of respondents who are not sure of the person they will elect doubled during the period between 2011 and 2012. The main reason for the increase in uncertainty is loss of faith in leaders.

When looking at specific presidential aspirants, Dr Willibrod Slaa popularity has shrunk significantly compared to what it was a year back, dropping from 42 percent in 2011 to 17 per cent.
In 2012 there was no clear cut who is the preferred presidential aspirant amongst the public. Source the Citizen

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Tazara needs USD4bn to modernise operations

 Tazara Railway

The Tanzania-Zambia Railway (Tazara), a joint railway line jointly owned by Tanzania and Zambia, requires about 4 billion US dollars to fully modernise the railway line and its operations, the Times of Zambia reported on Thursday.
Akashambatwa Mbikusita-Lewanika, the company's managing director said it would be costly to rebuild the railway line considering that a lot of money would be required to start afresh, adding that it was the reason the two governments have opted for rehabilitation.

"It is cheaper for us to rehabilitate the infrastructure other than having to start all over again, because 4 billion dollars will be require if we are to reconstruct Tazara," he was quoted as saying by the paper, during a meeting between government leaders from the two countries.

According to him, the two governments wanted to pay more attention to the railway company, which has faced operational challenges over the years, and bring it back to its original glorious state, adding that the money would have to come from either the two governments of invited private sector participation.

Tanzania's Transport minister Dr Harrison Mwakyembe said during the same occasion that the railway firm will not collapse because it was an important venture to the two governments because of its historical background.

The two countries, he said, will come up with a plan to be implemented on the rehabilitation of the railway line which is currently facing operational problems considering that 90 percent of the cargo had been shifted on the road instead of moving on the rail.

The joint railway has for years suffered poor management, lack of wagons and locomotives, unreliable timetables and problems with track maintenance.

At its peak, the 1992-kilometer railway, which links the Port of Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania to the Zambian town of Kapiri Mposhi, could transport about 2.5 million tons of cargo a year but it currently moves only a quarter of that.  source The Guardian

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Leaders sign DR Congo peace deal

REGIONAL African leaders have signed a deal to try to bring peace to the war-torn east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, with plans to reinforce a UN-led mission to combat rebels. 

The UN Security Council is deeply concerned by worsening unrest in eastern DR Congo. Source: AAP

But with the ink still wet, the UN Security Council expressed concern at the deepening unrest in the region, once again condemning the mainly Tutsi M23 rebels, who UN investigators say are backed by Rwanda and Uganda.

Eleven countries in the Great Lakes region - including those accused of backing rebel groups - signed the accord at a ceremony in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in the presence of UN chief Ban Ki-moon.

"It is my hope that the framework will lead to an era of peace and stability for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the region," Ban said.

"It is only the beginning of a comprehensive approach that will require sustained engagement."

The accord aims to encourage the reform of weak institutions in the DRC, central Africa's largest nation, and calls for countries in the region to stop interfering in each other's affairs.


After the signing, US ambassador to the UN Susan Rice warned it was "imperative that the DRC's neighbours respect its sovereignty and territorial integrity by preventing external support to armed groups, which is a violation of international obligations".

The accord also provides for changes to the UN's 17,000-strong MONUSCO peacekeeping mission. That may lead to creation of a special UN "intervention brigade" to fight rebel groups and support political reforms, and the appointment of a UN special envoy.

South African President Jacob Zuma described the creation of the brigade, which will total 2500 troops, as a realistic way to quickly restore security.

DR Congo's mineral-rich east has been ravaged by conflict involving numerous armed groups for the past two decades, with new rebel movements spawned on a regular basis.

Neighbouring states have regularly been accused of meddling in the eastern DR Congo, with the illegal extraction of its valuable minerals one of their motivations.

The latest surge in violence erupted last year and culminated in the rebel March 23 movement (M23) - made up of largely Tutsi former soldiers - briefly seizing the key town of Goma in November.

At the UN headquarters in New York on Sunday, the Security Council again expressed concern at the deteriorating situation in eastern DR Congo.

Its members renewed their condemnation of the M23 group, one of the key targets of the UN accord.

"They reiterate their demand that the M23 cease immediately attempts to establish an illegitimate parallel administration," said a statement released by the council.

Rwanda and Uganda, both signatories of the new accord, have been accused by UN experts of backing the M23, which launched an uprising against the DR Congo government last year.

Kagame and the presidents of the DR Congo, South Africa, Mozambique, Congo and Tanzania were present for the signing of the agreement.

source theaustralian.com

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Experts say having own oil wells will reduce costs

Dar es Salaam. As Tanzanians continue to feel the pinch of high fuel prices and the staggering import bill of the commodity, some economists have advised the government to buy oil wells in oil producing countries.
The proposal, they argue, could be a long-term solution to fluctuations in global oil prices, which some countries have started to adopt.

The arrangement would also have a positive impact on almost every aspect of life in the country, notably helping to deal with the high cost of living. The realised savings would enable the authorities to improve provision of social services in key areas like health and education.

“Tanzania should be innovative enough by buying oil wells in source countries rather than buying oil itself,” Dr Honest Ngowi of Mzumbe University told The Citizen on Sunday.
This was cheaper than importing oil, which eats up a large chunk of the country’s foreign exchange, he said, adding that  huge oil import bills put pressure on the local currency.
“The idea is if a country buys oil wells, they become its properties. It only has to manage operation, in terms of pumping out the oil and transporting it,” Dr Ngowi said.

US-based economist Richard Mshomba concurred with Dr Ngowi. He said the energy import bill was a huge burden on the economy.
“Oil imports increase our current deficit, leading to reduction in foreign reserves and increased external borrowing and begging,” he said.

He added: “Foreign exchange spent on oil imports could be spent on other necessities such as medicine and medical equipment; inadequate supply of energy leads to increased production costs and reduced investments.”
Mr Mshomba said recent oil and natural gas discoveries in the country could help in reducing the monopoly of the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco) in the long run.

According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), Tanzania’s energy import bill is close to 10 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
A senior official with the organisation, Mr Espen Mehlum, said via email that the rate represents a significant cost to the economy.

“The energy intensity of the economy– the GDP created per unit of energy use – is fairly modest for Tanzania in comparison to many other countries. Improving on this dimension could help reduce the overall energy costs as Tanzania’s economy grows,” he said.

However, Mr Jan Rielaender, an economist with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), dismissed the idea of the government buying oil wells in oil producing countries.
“Whether Tanzania should buy oil wells abroad to secure its oil needs, I would give that a clear no,” said Mr Reilander in an email response.

He argued: “An oil well is, but half the story. You also need refining capacity to turn crude oil into gasoline.
“Margins for refining are low and the capital requirements are enormous. Tanzania would likely not be able to stem the investment.”
Mr Rainlander explained that oil prices were linked to the world market, adding that owning oil wells abroad with the intention of bringing the production home for domestic consumption cheaply would lead to losing the difference between the price at the domestic oil price and that of the world market, had it been exported.
He also questioned the operation of the oil wells abroad, saying a local oil firm would not stand the competition and that the government would lose money if it invested, as experience showed that state-owned investments had proven inefficient.

Mr Rainlander pointed to the discovered gas saying, “Tanzania’s attention should rather be on getting the gas deals right and ensuring that the country gets a fair share of this wealth. If so, there will be enough money around to buy oil.”
Explaining the government’s position, the minister for Energy and Minerals, Prof Sospeter Muhongo, said the idea of owning its oil wells in oil endowed countries would be executed if well researched and backed by facts.
“It is upon the people who come up with the proposal to clearly state their proposition which will help give a clear picture of the idea,” said Prof Muhongo.

“Tanzania needs innovative ideas, which are well researched so that they can be used in finding solutions to the country’s problems.”

The minister noted issues that have to be considered before such decisions are taken include the country’s tax regime, laws and regulations and how incentives are treated.
Prof Muhongo said his ministry would not work on hearsay.

source the Citizen

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Tanzania: Peace Must Be Preserved At All Costs

FOR a country that has been enjoying a reputation as an island of peace, it is a travesty that we should give it all away in the name of religious beliefs.

From Zanzibar to Geita, what has transpired of late is not only saddening but detrimental to our well-being as a nation. That people should die or be injured because of their faiths is not a matter for frolic. It has been said time and again, those who have done their bit and lost the little peace and tranquility they once enjoyed look at us with envy.

We certainly do not want to take the same route. Recent events in Zanzibar are cause for concern, just like the same that have happened in Tanzania Mainland. We support authorities when they say that there are elements bent on inciting people to breach the country's peace on religious grounds. Such people do not wish well our country and its people.

Two Christian clerics have been shot, one fatally, in the Isles where one Muslim cleric was smeared with acid. In Geita, another Christian cleric was beheaded and several people were injured when sectarian violence erupted a few days back. But Tanzanians are known to be people who tolerate each other's differences.

Something is amiss when neighbours who have long known each other as people of different faiths start attacking one another on sectarian grounds. It should be understood that Tanzania is a secular state. Faith is an individual's choice and we are all, each to each, protected by the laws of the land to pursue any religious belief we choose, so long as we do not break the country's laws.

We are all subject to similar freedoms and rights as citizens. It should also be understood that our differences are by no means deficiencies; as a matter of fact they should be looked at as our strengths considering the different backgrounds amongst Tanzanians.

Tolerance is thus of paramount importance. Most importantly, the government should be more vigilant and not allow sectarian violence to take root in the country. Consequences will spread far and wide and not end at just social instability. Failure to deal with the problem will also scare away investors and, in the long run, hurt the economy.

There might be many forces, both from within and without, at play. Authorities should kill the bad seed before it grows and Tanzania should maintain its reputation as a country of relative peace and tolerance.

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Tanzania: Court Differs On Sheikh Ponda's Case

 The Secretary General of the Islamic Council Organization, Sheikh Ponda Issa Ponda

LAWYERS and a prosecution witness on Thursday locked horns at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate's Court in Dar es Salaam on whether the case against Secretary General of the Council of Islamic Organization, Sheikh Ponda Issa Ponda and his colleagues, was criminal or civil.

While advocates Juma Nassoro and Tahaya Njama, for the accused, claimed that the case had all elements of civil by its nature, the witness, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ame Anange Anoqie, maintained to the contrary, saying that the matter falls squarely in criminal ambit.

The heated debate among the lawyers and the witness was fuelled by the latter's testimony in his evidence in chief that the accused forcibly took possession of a plot known as Markaz at Chang'ombe area in Temeke District, while they had no single document to support their action.

"I was forced to believe that the accused committed criminal offences because responsible land authorities evidenced that the legal owner of the plot was Agritanza Limited. But when the accused were asked to produce any document to prove ownership they failed to avail any," SSP Ame said.

However, in cross-examination during the trial presided over by Resident Magistrate Victoria Nongwa, the two lawyers, on different occasions, alleged that the police were informed of the intended action by the accused of going to the area to rescue Muslim properties, thus the matter should have been referred to any Land Tribunal.

"Don't you see that you rushed to file a criminal case instead of taking the matter to proper court responsible of determining land disputes? For sure in this case there is a dispute on legal ownership of the plot," Advocate Njama asked the witness.

But in his response, SSP Ame, who works in the office of the Criminal Investigation Department in Temeke Police Region, told the court that there was nowhere the police went wrong in opening criminal charges against the accused, considering circumstances surrounding the matter.

In the case, Sheikh Ponda and his 49 co-accused are charged with conspiracy, trespass and criminal possession of property owned by Agritanza Limited on a plot situated along Markaz, Chang'ombe area, in Temeke District. Other charges, according to the prosecution, include stealing building materials from Agritanza limited, including 1,500 bricks and 36 tonnes of aggregate and iron bars, all worth 59.6m/.

The offences are alleged to have been committed on October 12, last year. In his brief testimony led by Senior State Attorney Tumaini Kweka, the witness narrated that on October 12, last year, while in his office he was informed by his subordinates that they received a complaint from one person that some people have invaded his Chang'ombe plot.

According to him, he instructed his men to inquire about the legal owner of the plot in dispute. He said his men informed him that the Office of Temeke Municipal Council, Land Division, confirmed that the legal owner of the plot was Agritanza Limited.

He told the court that it was at that point when the police concluded that an offence of criminal trespass has been committed and therefore they decided to go at the plot in question at night to arrest the alleged invaders. Hearing of the case continues today.


SOURCE ALLAFRICA .COM

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Attackers hack hand off Tanzanian child

ATTACKERS collecting body parts of albinos for witchcraft have hacked off the hand of a seven-year old boy in Tanzania, in the latest in a series of bloody assaults, officials say.




"The boy was attacked on Saturday by three people as he walked home with his four school friends," said Apolinary Macheta, the local government leader in Tanzania's southwestern Milepa district.

The boy, Mwigulu Magessa, is recovering in hospital, Macheta added.

The attack came just days after an albino mother of four had her arm chopped off by machete-wielding men. Police on Saturday said they had arrested five men after discovering the decomposing limb hidden in a field.

In Tanzania, albinos are killed and dismembered due to a widespread belief that charms made from their body parts bring good fortune and prosperity.

Albinism is a genetic condition characterised by a deficiency of melanin pigmentation in the skin, hair and eyes which protects from the sun's ultraviolet rays.

People suffering from the condition are discriminated against and persecuted in many African countries.

Albino body parts are sold for thousands of dollars.

Last month an albino child died in Tanzania's Tabora region after attackers hacked off his arm with a machete.

Kijo Bisimba, of Tanzania's Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) described the rise in attacks as "alarming" and said there was a renewed spate of assaults after months of calm.

Such ritual killings have also occurred in neighbouring Burundi and some of the attackers are suspected to be from Tanzania.

Source Dail mail

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Priest Shot Dead In Zanzibar; Pastor Beheaded On Mainland

                                                  Christians in Zanzibar face Islamic violence

 A Catholic priest was shot dead Sunday, February 17, on his way to church in Tanzania's semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar, just days after a pastor was beheaded by suspected Muslim extremists on the mainland, officials and Christians said.

"Father Evarist Mushi was blocked by two young men at the entrance of the church" in Zanzibar City, the capital, where "one of the attackers shot him in the head," said the island's police spokesman Mohammed Mhina in published remarks.

It was the second such attack on the Muslim-majority island of 1.2 million people in recent months. On Christmas Day, gunmen shot and seriously wounded a Catholic priest as he returned home from church.

Police did not know whether both attacks were related, but local Christians said there has been a rise in Islamic attacks against individual believers and churches.

Sunday's shooting came while on the mainland, in Tanzania's Geita Region, Christians were mourning the violent death of a pastor of an Assemblies of God Church.

PASTOR BEHEADED

Pastor Mathayo Kachili was reportedly beheaded Monday, February 11,by what witnesses called a mob of Muslim extremists and "radicals".

Police commander Denis Stephano told reporters that the killing in Buseresere town was sparked by tensions over whether Christians were allowed to open and operate butcheries in the area.

The killing sparked deadly riots between religious Christians and Muslims, with at least one attacker reportedly dying of his injuries, before police was able to intervene.

Pastor Kachili leaves behind a wife and several children who depended on his salary to make a living, Christians said.

In a reaction, rights group International Christian Concern (ICC) suggested that that this was part of a wider Islamic campaign against Christians in East Africa.

MORE VIOLENCE

"Just last week, two Christian pastors in Garissa, Kenya were attacked by Islamic extremists suspected to be connected with [militant group] al-Shabab," explained William Stark, ICC regional manager for Africa.

"The increase of attacks on Christians can be linked to the spread of radical Islam across East Africa. Groups like al-Shabab and its sympathizers have shown that they are not afraid to attack and kill Christians in countries that are traditionally thought of as Christian," he told BosNewsLife in a statement.

Stark isn't optimistic about the future. "Until the issue of radical Islam is confronted in East Africa, we will continue to see attacks on Christians and other minority groups. If ignored, the spread of radical Islam has the potential to turn East Africa into another Nigeria or Mali where Christians are persecuted and killed by the hundreds."

In Zanzibar, however, police said they were investigating the latest killing of a priest. "For now, we cannot say what the motives are for the attack, but we have launched search operations for the attackers," added spokesman Mhina.

Authorities are concerned more violence could threaten the tourism industry, the main foreign currency earner for Zanzibar, known for its white-sand beaches and historical buildings in Stone Town, listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO. source BosNewslife

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TPSF urges govt to set up special court to handle corruption cases

                                                         TPSF Executive Director, Godfrey Simbeye
Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) has recommended the government to establish a special court that will be dealing with corruption cases to improve functioning of the private sector in Tanzania.

The proposal is one among recommendations made during a meeting that involved senior members of business associations in the country that took place in Dar es Salaam over the weekend.

The associations met under their umbrella organisation, TPSF to discuss and recommend to the government with a view of improving their services and businesses.

The TPSF Executive Director, Godfrey Simbeye said that dealing with corruption cases under the current system causes delays hence seriously affecting businesses.

He said that the government should think of the proposal and take a leaf from Kenya and Uganda who have such courts while Nigeria is in the process to do so.

Over ten business associations including VIBINDO, Agricultural Council of Tanzania (ACT), Association of Private Health Facilities in Tanzania (APHFT) and Tanzania Association of Oil Marketing Companies took part in the one day meeting.

“Recommendations made by leaders of these associations will be forwarded to the government for further actions,” Simbeye said.

He said that other recommendations include deducting and scrapping off some taxes so that they conform to the level and type of businesses they do as well as reviewing policies and laws that hinder development of businesses for the benefit of the country’s economy and increase employment.

According to Simbeye, the meeting also recommended reintroduction of mandatory National Service run by JKT for youth following the dwindling of good ethical conducts something that causes loses to companies that employ youth.

He said that TPSF believes that if youth pass through National Service, it will help improve good conducts adding that the private sector is ready to contribute in running it should there be the best system and a curricular that will involve all youths.

For his part, a Senior APHFT Finance Officer, Maro Kohi said the recommendations made during the meeting should be taken seriously for the development of the country.

“APHFT members request the government to reduce skills development levy which is currently at six per cent, secondary levy at 30 per cent and corporate tax at 30 per cent so that we can improve our services,” he said.

The recent years have seen private sector significantly play a crucial role in the development of the country.

source the Guadian

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Gangs terrorise people with albinism

 Gama Zengabuyanga (L) in a sombre mood after losing her grandson, Lugolola Bunzari (7), who was murdered by criminals in cold blood and his left arm later chopped off.

Zengabuyanga Meli (95), a resident of Kanoge village in Tabora Region, was murdered recently while defending Lugolola Bunzari (7), his great grandson with albinism from being chopped to death by gangsters after human parts.

The attackers killed Lugolola and later fled with his arm leaving the torso inside the hut where the poor child had been sleeping.

Recounting the incident in Kisukuma-Kinyantuzu, the language spoken by most residents of the area, Lugolola’s grandmother, Gama Zengabuyanga, said her father, Zengabuyanga, was woken up by cries as the killers who were shouting something in a language they could not understand whipped them.

On learning that something was wrong, Zengabuyanga rushed to the next room shouting: “Who is hurting my children?” 

It was then that some unidentified men pushed him outside near the hut where the great grandson, Lugolola, was sleeping with his mother and three sisters - the youngest being a few weeks old. 

To his shock there were more armed men waiting outside the hut. He ran back to the hut shouting:  "We are being attacked! Help the children!  We are under attack!"

The assailants pounced on him with machetes and clubs cutting him in several places. “It was the end of his life,” Gama said in the tribal language that was translated in Kiswahili by a relative.

The shouts of distress from the children brought Gama out of her hut limping, asking who was attacking the children. The assailants attacked her with machetes. 

She fell but fortunately managed to crawl into a nearby bush before she lost consciousness. 

She woke up two days later to find herself at Kitete Regional Hospital, 75kms from her home village of Kanoge nursing her wounds.

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shock and disbelief as Pope Benedict XVI set to resign

 The handout picture release by the Vatican press office on february 11, 2013 shows pope Benedict XVI (C) attending an ordinary consistory at the Vatican the same day pope Benedict XVI announced he will resign on february 28, a Vatican spokesman told AFP, which will make him the first pope to do so in centuries





Pope Benedict XVI’s announcement yesterday that he will resign at the end of this month sent shock waves across the globe, leaving four unanswered questions.

Roman Catholics worldwide and people from various religious denominations could only speculate on why the Pope made what appeared to be an abrupt decision: Who was to succeed him, what next and when this happened last.
The 85-year-old pontiff said he no longer has the strength to carry out his papal duties. “After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strength, due to advanced age, is no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry,” he said, according to a statement released by the Vatican.

He said he was aware of the “seriousness” of his resignation, but did so in “full freedom”. The last pope to resign was Pope Gregory XII. He did so in 1415 in a deal to end the Great Western Schism among competing papal claimants.
Pope Benedict’s sudden announcement sets the stage for the Vatican to hold a conclave to elect a new pope by mid-March. There are several papal contenders in the wings but no obvious front-runner, according to Vatican watchers.

When Pope Benedict resigns on February 28, he will leave the office vacant. The process to choose a new leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics will begin thereafter. Without the customary mourning period that follows the death of a pontiff, a meeting of the cardinals to elect his successor, called the conclave, could begin by mid-March.

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said Pope Benedict would continue to carry out his papal duties until February 28. A successor could probably be elected by Easter, which falls this year on March 31, he said, adding: “That date is not an announcement, but a hypothesis.”

Certainly, there have been some remarkable shocks in the 2,000 years of the papacy, few more unexpected than the election of Karol Wojtyla as John Paul II in 1978.

But Joseph Ratzinger went into the conclave a favourite and emerged as Benedict XVI. Born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, Pope Benedict became the 265th pope after being elected by his fellow cardinals on April 19, 2005, at the age of 78. This followed the death of the popular John Paul II.
The ninth German pope and first in nearly 500 years, Benedict was ordained in 1951 and was a major figure at the Vatican for decades before his ascension.

Ratzinger chose the name Benedict, which comes from the Latin word meaning “the blessed”. This was in homage to Pope Benedict XV who served during World War I, and Saint Benedict of Nursia, who established the Benedictine monasteries.

During his papacy and in the years before, Benedict was a key figure in the church’s efforts to address widespread sexual abuse of children by priests.

In 2001, then-Cardinal Ratzinger convinced John Paul II to put together the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which he led. Hewas in charge of investigating cases and setting up the policy regarding what he termed “filth” in the church.

As a cardinal, Ratzinger pushed through important reforms. They included making Internet offences against children a violation covered by canon law, extending child abuse offences to include the sexual abuse of all people under 18, waiving of the statute of limitation and speeding the process of dismissing guilty priests.


source the Citizen

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East Africa: Tanzania, Kenya Ports Move to Cut Congestion

Dar es Salaam — The Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) and Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) are weighing a partnership that will address congestion at their principal ports, as well as to foster clearing of cargos and speed up the East African region's economies.

After protracted complaints from the business community, the Port of Mombasa has set out to reclaim its appeal and regain its position as the gateway to East Africa with the joint venture.

Speaking in Dar es Salaam last week, the Kenya High Commissioner to Tanzania, Mr. Mutinda Mutiso said that the two ports are in keen at collaborating to end congestion at the two East African ports as far as the regional integration is concerned.

"Just when most importers were increasingly opting to use the Dar port due to inefficiencies and congestion at the Mombasa Port, it's high time for the two ports to have keen collaboration because even Dar port is experiencing the same problem," Mutiso said.

Mutiso stressed that the new terminal of Juba port will be put up to cater for the projected container increase in excess of 960,000 Twenty Foot Equivalent Units (Teus) by 2015.

"The need for the construction and the improvements of East African ports cannot be over emphasized," Mutiso said, adding that the Kenyan Authority would ensure the development of the regional Port of Lamu to meet the growing demand for port services.

The Managing Director of the Kenya Port Authority, Mr. Gichiri Ndua said that the business community was upbeat that the new terminal of Lamu will enhance efficiency for businesses operating in the country.

Apart from Kenya, the port also serves Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The new terminal will have a capacity of 1.2 million Teus per year and will have three berths that measure 230, 320 and 350 metres.

Over the last 12 years, traffic through the Port of Mombasa had increased by 7.4% per annum, rising from 9 million tonnes in 2000 to 20 million tons last year.
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Tanzania: 'Arusha Protocol' Enables UDSM to Produce Gas, Oil Experts

Newly discovered gas reserves in the Indian Ocean shores may be causing uproar in Mtwara but a Memorandum of Understanding signed in Arusha will enable the University of Dar-Es-Salaam to start working on special programs to churn out experts in the field of gas and oil.

Last weekend UDSM management inked a special 'Trinity Memorandum of Understanding,' to be known as the 'Arusha Protocol' with the Augustino Neto University of Angola and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), which will assist the country's leading academic brain trust to groom and produce highly qualified experts on oil exploration and gas resources management.

The three institutions that met at the Mount Meru Hotel have agreed to operate on a platform called the Angolan, Norwegian, and Tanzanian Higher Education Initiative (ANTHEI), aimed at promoting academic and cultural ties between the parties in areas of education, academic, research and administrative in the disciplines of natural sciences, engineering and related areas.

Under the 'Arusha protocol' the universities will be exchanging students pursuing studies in areas of petroleum engineering and petroleum geosciences.

The agreement was signed by Prof Makenya Maboko on behalf of UDSM, Prof Doutor Orlando-da-Mata of University of Augustino Neto signed on behalf of Angola and Norway was sealed by Prof Torbjorn Digernes, rector at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). The event was also witnessed by the Norwegian Ambassador to Tanzania, Ingunn Klepsvik

Speaking soon after the signing ceremony, senior official from ministry of Energy and Minerals, Mr Adam Zuberi said the new deal plays an imperative role to Tanzania's gas and oil industry, which is in high demand of local experts.

He said despite the fact that Tanzania's government has started working with local universities to train more experts in the new industry, the new deal will take the East African country into the next level.

An engineer with the Tanzania Petroleum Development Cooperation (TPDC), Eng Modestus Lumato, lauded Norway for its long support to countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa including Tanzania.

He said Norway, one of the highly developed countries in oil and gas, has been working with Tanzania for years.
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