Friday 30 January 2009

Scania opens Mwanza branch

From The Citizen, Dar es Salaam
By Bethuel Kinyori in Mwanza

Scania Tanzania has opened a new branch in Mwanza that will cater for the Lake Region market that also comprises Kagera, Mara and Shinyanga regions.

The outlet, which was officially launched on Wednesday, is located at Mabatini. Among other things, it is equipped with the latest technology used in repairing Scania engines and other systems.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Scania Tanzania managing director Claes Nyqvist said Mwanza offered a strategic location for the Swedish truck and bus maker in the Lake Zone.

Read full story.



Monday 26 January 2009

Boss convicted of assault flees country

From The Citizen, Dar es Salaam
By Patty Magubira in Mwanza

The general manager of a Mwanza-based fish processing plant, who was recently sentenced to five years' imprisonment for assault, has fled the country, a senior immigration official has confirmed.

Mwanza regional immigration officer Omar Msellem said records showed that Mr Devarajan Vamadavan of Omega Fish processing plant had left the country.

Mwanza Principal Resident Magistrate Huruma Shahidi ordered police when delivering his judgment in the accused's absence to launch a manhunt for the Pakistani national, and one of the firm's officials, Mr Joseph Wilson.

Read full story.

Region on alert over Ebola fever

From The Citizen, Dar es Salaam
By Paulina David in Mwanza

Health officials in Mwanza have been placed on alert amid fears of the Ebola fever, an infectious and generally fatal disease marked by fever and severe internal bleeding.

The fever was recently reported to have recurred in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where it was first observed in the 1970s.

Mwanza regional medical doctor, Dr Meshack Massi said they were working with other authorities to diagnose all people arriving into the country from DRC to check symptoms of the disease.

Read full story.

Sunday 25 January 2009

ATCL resumes domestic flights

From Daily News, Dar es Salaam
By PETI SIYAME in Sumbawanga

The national flag carrier, Air Tanzania Company Ltd (ATCL) resumed domestic flights yesterday with few passengers aboard, after suspending services since last December.

Sources at Mwalimu Julius Nyerere International Airport yesterday said that the plane DH8-Q300 bound for Mwanza left at 6:30am with eight passengers on board and flew back with four passengers only.

Read full story.

Friday 23 January 2009

Don't rely on donors for water, parliamentary team urges Govt

From The Citizen, Dar es Salaam
By Jackson Msangula

A parliamentary committee has said the Government should desist from depending on donor funds for projects aimed at providing people with safe water.

The committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Water said yesterday water was a priority area the Government should not leave entirely in the hands of donors.

"We know that water is life to everybody and as such the Government must not wait until donors provide funds to ensure people have safe water," the committee's chairperson, Mr Gideon Cheyo said at the end of a tour of the Mtoni (Upper and Lower) Ruvu pumping machine.

"We have to make sure that we accomplish our plans (to provide safe water) using our own internal sources of revenue," he said.

He urged the Government to put more effort to complete the Mwanza-Shinyanga water project, which is expected to ensure reliable supply of clean water to Dar es Salaam and coastal regions.

Read full story.

ATCL resumes flying today, says MD

From The Citizen, Dar es Salaam
By Mwanamkasi Jumbe and Mkinga Mkinga


Air Tanzania Company Limited will seek to consolidate its domestic operations in a short-term strategy aimed at keeping it afloat amid a serious cash flow crisis.

The airline's managing director, Mr David Mattaka, said yesterday that the national carrier, which resumes flying today after being suspended for almost two months, would suspend all its regional and international routes in a transition period expected to last until June.

It will also hire a consultant to study its staffing levels and advise on suitable restructuring for competitiveness. However, no immediate decisions had been made on retrenchment.

Read full story.

Thursday 22 January 2009

Albino murdered, dismembered in Tanzania

From canada.com network, Canada
By AFP (Agence France-Presse)

Criminals with suspected links to witch doctors murdered an albino man in northern Tanzania and chopped off his right leg, an official said Thursday.

The latest in a string of murders targeting albinos - whose limbs and organs are used by local sorcerers to make charms - took place on Wednesday in the Mwanza region, on the shores of Lake Victoria.

Mwanza regional commissioner Alex Msekela named the deceased as Jonas Maduka, a resident of Sogoso village.

Read full story.

Wednesday 21 January 2009

Tanesco explains Dar blackout

From Daily News, Dar es Salaam
By CHARLES KIZIGHA

The Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco) yesterday introduced load shedding in most parts of Dar es Salaam, following a breakdown of a 220KV circuit breaker at Kidatu Hydro Power Station, officials said. The breakdown has adversely affected Kidatu - Morogoro power line leading to low power supply into the national grid.

Officials said that the breakdown comes at the time when Tanesco requires 250 million US dollars (about 340bn/-) to rehabilitate its power supply network in Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Mwanza regions. Efforts are underway to replace the broken circuit breaker with a new one.

Read full story.

Monday 19 January 2009

Pinda wages war against Albino killing

From Daily News, Dar es Salaam
By DAILY NEWS Reporter


Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda is today expected to start a four-day working tour of Kagera, Mwanza, Tabora and Shinyanga regions to sensitize the public on crusade against killings of albinos and elders on witchcraft beliefs.

A statement issued yesterday by the Prime Minister’s Office indicated that during the tour, the Prime Minister would talk with government, religious institutions leaders, as well as traditional and community organizations and traditional healers on how to better fight against the killings.

Read full story.

Saturday 17 January 2009

700,000 litres of oil sent upcountry

From Daily News, Dar es Salaam
By CHARLES KIZIGHA

Over 700,000 litres of petrol have been dispatched by two oil marketing companies (OMC) to 11 regions upcountry in a move to end fuel crisis in those areas. Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA) officials said yesterday that the country has fuel stocks enough for three weeks. EWURA Director of Petroleum Mr Siril Massey told the 'Sunday News' that 464,000 litres were dispatched upcountry by GAPCO and 227,000 litres by Engen.

The cities and municipals with amount of petrol dispatched by GAPCO in brackets include: Dodoma (77,000), Iringa (69,000), Korogwe (40,000), Manyara (6,000), Mbeya (65,500), Morogoro (17,500), Moshi (45,000), Mwanza (82,000), Rufiji (4,000), Rujewa (18,000) and Singida (21,000).

Read full story.

Low power supply hits Lake Victoria water project

From The Citizen, Dar es Salaam
By Patty Magubira in Misungwi

Inadequate electricity supply is slowing down efforts to supply water from Lake Victoria to thousands of needy people in Shinyanga municipality and Kahama districts, it has been learnt.

Some 500,000 residents of Shinyanga municipality and Kahama district would be receiving clean and safe water from the fresh water lake if there was enough power to pump and treat the water, a resident engineer has said.

An engineer with one of the biggest international construction company, Norconsult, has also said the project to supply water to the municipality and district is lacking competent water experts.

The engineer, Thomas Oiestad has said the largest government water supply project being implemented by three contractors is in danger from increasing theft of parts and gadgets at different sites.

Read full story.

Wednesday 14 January 2009

Government threats on civil servants uncalled for

From IPP Media, Dar es Salaam
By Grace Chilongola in Mwanza


The government has been asked to stop threatening civil servants (particularly teachers) it claims they forged documents in order to get bigger payments, while teachers have been claiming billions of shillings from it.

The remarks were given by the Mwanza Region chairperson for the Tanzania Teachers Union, John Kafimbi, when clarifying on teachers who the government has taken measures against them for different reasons.

"We shall continue to claim our rights regardless of the government`s threats to take action on teachers it claims forged documents for more payments," said the Mwanza TTU chairperson.

Read full story.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN AFRICA

From Davidson News, Davidson, NC, United States

Some might call it a mid-life crisis - but there is no red convertible in the driveway of Steve and Phyllis Justus’ home in Davidson.

Rather, the kitchen table displays a passport, a health card showing a current Yellow Fever vaccine and a vial of anti-malaria tablets. After 22 years as an emergency room physician in the Charlotte area, Steve is making a mid-life career transition. He is taking his medical knowledge to the Eastern shore of Lake Victoria and working in the Weill Bugando hospital in the city of Mwanza, Tanzania.

Read full story (Note: Scroll down).

Read this blog.

Residents protest against eviction order

From The Citizen, Dar es Salaam
By Paulina David in Mwanza

Residents of Buzuruga east in Mwanza City, are up in arms, protesting an eviction order by the city council mid-last month for them to move out of the area by Thursday.

The residents yesterday complained bitterly to the media that they were not given sufficient time to vacate the place nor paid compensation by the council.

They said they were surprised to read an eviction order pasted at notice boards at the ward office that they must leave the area by this Thursday to pave the way for construction of a highway.

Read full story.

Monday 12 January 2009

Be careful on projects, councils told

From The Citizen, Dar es Salaam
By Paulina David in Mwanza

The parliamentary Local Governments Accounts Committee has directed district councils in Mwanza Region to closely follow up development projects being implemented in their areas of jurisdiction.
The chairman of the committee, Mr George Simbachawene, observed at the end of the committee's four-day tour of the region that most councils did not have up-to-date information on development projects being implemented in their areas.

Saturday 10 January 2009

Green Valley Rotary raising money for Tanzanian hospital

From Las Vegas Sun, Las Vegas, United States
By Jeremy Twitchell


For the past seven years, Denny and Paula Lofstrom (photo) of Minnesota have commuted between Mwanza, Tanzania, and the United States.

Nine months of the year, they head up construction and operation of the Nyakato Hospital in Mwanza, a city of 2 million on the shores of Lake Victoria in eastern Africa. The other three months, they travel the U.S., visiting churches and clubs to drum up financial support.

They dropped in on the Green Valley Rotary Thursday to meet the group that has led the efforts of several Rotary chapters in Southern Nevada and Southern California to raise $58,000 to outfit the hospital's dental office.

Denny Lofstrom, a doctor, served a medical mission in Tanzania from 1958 to 1962, and the couple later returned for four years in the 1990s to rescue a failing hospital, Paula Lofstrom told the group. After that task was done, a friend asked the couple to give 10 weeks to help get a hospital project off the ground in Mwanza.

Friday 9 January 2009

Where are origin of ATCL problems?

From Daily News, Dar es Salaam
By Staff Writer MASEMBE TAMBWE

Air Tanzania Company Limited’s (ATCL) problems have been all over the news these couple of months and from the looks of things, the problems are not ending soon. But where did these problems come from? How was then Air Tanzania Corporation (ATC) formed? What were its objectives, achievements?

Daily News on Saturday Staff Writer MASEMBE TAMBWE, talks to former Acting General Manager, Alfred Christopher Carere. MR Alfred Carere worked for the airline industry for 23 years until he retired in 1988 as the ATC Acting General Manager. He began work after his studies in 1953 as a co-operative employee in Mwanza for a year, before joining Shell between 1955 and 1961.

Read full story.

Call to Africa to help give the gift of life

From Mirfield Reporter, Mirfield, UK
By Scott Kirk

TOYS, bikes and computer games are some of the presents that children in Britain wish for at Christmas.

But in Tanzania, where one child under five years old dies every five seconds from preventable diseases, the gift of life is enough. John Philip, a Mirfield Rotary Club member for 17 years, is in Mwanza in Tanzania this New Year with his wife Chris to help reduce the number of child deaths in the country.

“We could not bring ourselves to spend Christmas without doing what little we can to help reduce child mortality,” said John, who is this year’s District Governor for 80 Rotary Clubs in Yorkshire.

Read full story.

Health experts to sensitize communities on Ebola

From Daily News, Dar es Salaam
By DARIUS MUKIZA

The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare yesterday sent a team of experts in five regions that border the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to sensitize Tanzanians over the outbreak of ebola fever that erupted in Congo December last year.

The Principal Communication Officer with the ministry Mr Nsachris Mwamwaja told the 'Daily News' that the experts were sent to Kigoma, Rukwa, Mbeya, Kagera and Mwanza regions which were at great risk of contracting Ebola. “The main task of these experts will be to educate people over the disease on what it is, its causes, symptoms and preventive measures.

Read full story.

Tuesday 6 January 2009

Call to improve MV Victoria seats

From Daily News, Dar es Salaam
By DARIUS MUKIZA

Transportation in Lake Victoria by MV Victoria vessel (photo) that operates between Mwanza and Bukoba towns is reported to be appalling, as 78.5 per cent of all passengers sit on wooden benches.

Speaking to this paper yesterday, the Secretary of the Surface Marine Transport Regulatory Authority (SUMATRA) Consultative consumer council Oscar Kikoyo said of all 1,200 commuters who use MV Victoria, only 128 travellers can occupy cabins with beds.

"Travelling by this ship is terrifying. There is no reliable and affordable alternative for passengers. In essence, 78.5 per cent of commuters do not get value of their money," he said.

Read full story.

Saturday 3 January 2009

The plight of special groups in Tanzania

From IPPMedia, Dar es Salaam

Elderly Women are killed in Shinyanga and Mwanza. In the same zone and in many others Albinos are killed to achieve economic goals.

By Gaspar A. Hiza
So now we have special people. We talk about groups and we end up talking of special groups.
We could also call them Unique Groups because most of us use the word `special` element of reverence which was not intended when it was used to refer to people with unique needs and requirements.

But, fine words apart, we have people who need special attention because of their nature.

The old, women, children. Albinos, the blind and the deaf are some such groups.

Of late a lot of attention has been given to albinos and their attendant plight of killings for superstition reasons.

It is a real shame to our nation but I admire the way we bravely face that shame. That problem is not unique to Tanzania.

Tanzania may be the country which has adequate freedom press to put to the public ever its own shameful areas. Viva Tanzania.

Read full story.

Friday 2 January 2009

Policeman faces the sack, charges over rape of niece

From The Citizen, Dar es Salaam
By Patty Magubira in Mwanza

Police have launched investigations into claims that one of its officers attached to Igogo police post raped his niece, who at the time was a Form Three student.

The policeman (name withheld) allegedly seized the opportunity of a power cut about nine months ago to rape the schoolgirl.

The policeman is reported to have threatened to kill his victim if she told anyone about the incident which led to the girl getting pregnant.

Mwanza acting regional police commander Khamis Bhai said the police officer would first be court martialled, expelled from the force before he is prosecuted in a civilian court.

Read full story.


Rotarian couple help suffering in Africa

From Huddersfield Daily Examiner, West Yorkshire, UK
By Hazel Ettienne

A HUDDERSFIELD couple are spending the New Year on a mercy mission to Africa.

Retired doctor John Philip and his wife Chris heard about the plight of families in Mwanza on the shores of Lake Victoria in Tanzania, while attending an International Rotary Conference in San Deigo.

And they were so moved by the statistic that one child under five dies every five seconds from preventable diseases in the region that they decided to help.

They flew out last night on an 18-day mission to help others suffering from a variety of health problems.

Read full story.