Saturday 27 February 2010

Take action on graft President Kikwete urged

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Florence Mugarula

President Jakaya Kikwete's strong condemnation of corruption on Thursday, has been welcomed by several commentators, but asked him to take concrete action to show his commitment to route out the vice.

A cross section of political leaders and other analysts, said the President's stance would be strengthened and win support of pessimists if he links his words with swift action against anyone implicated in corruption.

Mr Kikwete said on Thursday that the ongoing anti-corruption drive would remain high on the government's agenda if he will be re-elected in the forthcoming General Election in October.

The president was opening the annual conference of the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau in Mwanza.

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Tz gets aid to curb piracy on Lake Victoria

From East African Business Week, Dar es Salaam
Written by JAMES MWAKISYALA

Lake Victoria waters could become a safer body to work on following the financial assistance of $4m to build a marine police training facility and provision of patrol boats.

The Government announced it had received the assistance to help curb piracies and lawlessness in the lake which is the source of livelihood to millions of East Africans who depend on its resources.
The announcement said the USA has offered to build a college in Mwanza city on the southern shores of Lake Victoria.

There have been hundreds of acts of piracy on fishermen in the lake as 'war lords' have virtually declared 'independence' on some of the lake's islands wreaking havoc to fishermen.

Fishermen often report of being robbed of their outboard engines, fishing gear and boats as well as fish catches to hoodlums on the lake.

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Thursday 11 February 2010

Hospital has no case to answer: RCO

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

No criminal motive has been found in the eight-month inquiry against the Weil Bugando Medical Centre (WBMC) and its staff for a body lost while at the hospital mortuary.

This is the conclusion of the police force as it explained reasons behind its reluctance to file a criminal case against the WBMC and its employees for a body that was mysteriously lost while in the referral hospital's morgue.

Mwanza regional crimes officer Deusdeti Nsimeki said in the summary of the closed investigation of the case that no criminal offence could be found during the eight-month investigation.

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Wednesday 10 February 2010

Time to think small on climate change

From BBC News, London, United Kingdom
By Sir David King

In northern Tanzania, the Mwanza Rural Housing Programme (MRHP) trains villagers to set up enterprises making high-quality bricks from local clay, fired with agricultural residues rather than wood.

Not only has this reduced deforestation, the bricks have been used in more than 100,000 homes in 70 villages, providing improved comfort and durability.

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Tuesday 9 February 2010

Punish stadia managers who condone witchcraft

From ThisDay, Dar es Salaam
By Willie Chiwango

UGLY incidents that occurred at CCM Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza on Sunday, January 31, this year ought to be condemned by all sane people because it brought our soccer into disrepute.

On that day, relegation haunted Toto African of Mwanza hosted Simba in a Vodacom Premier League match at the CCM-owned venue under very shameful circumstances. The media reported that unidentified guys sprayed a dressing room reserved for the hosts with blood, so Simba declined to use it.

An eye witness also said he saw some people bury a chicken alive into the pitch in broad daylight a day before the game, which front-runners Simba won 2-0 to stretch their unbeaten run in the elite league. In short, juju was practiced that day.

While we await reports of the match commissar and referee to reveal the truth and the Tanzania Football Federation's (TFF) ruling on the matter, let us ask ourselves: Why in this era of science and technology do we still have in our midst people who believe in witchcraft?

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Thursday 4 February 2010

ALBINO KILLINGS: Obama asked to put pressure on Kikwete

From The Citizen Daily, Dar es Salaam
By Ray Naluyaga

An American Congressman wants President Barack Obama to put diplomatic pressure on the Kikwete Government to end the albino killings in parts of the country.

Mr Gerald Connolly, who is a member of Mr Obama's Democratic Party, has filed a statement in the United States House of Representatives, seeking support to compel the President and the State Department to act.

His move follows his meeting in the United States with Ms Mariamu Stanford, the Tanzanian woman, who was brutally attacked in Mwanza in 2008, losing both arms. Her plight has seen her become the human face of the campaign against the barbarism by some superstitious people.

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Tuesday 2 February 2010

Where is the sense in trading local goods and services in US dollars?

From ThisDay, Dar es Salaam
By Ibrahim Werrema

HERE used to be world class hotels with service rates in two categories: That of residents, which would be in Tanzanian shillings and that of non-residents understandably in foreign currencies, and mostly in US dollars. Some hoteliers are now advanced to such a level of getting rid of the local currency group – they nowadays only charge in dollars!

If you go around Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Moshi and Mwanza, don’t be surprised to find Tanzanian local goods and services with price tags in USD. I have seen a whole wide range of goods and services priced in US dollars, from rental office spaces to residential apartments to hotel rooms, to clothing and furniture to automobiles to boutiques all the way to groceries! Worse is when the sellers refuse to accept paying in equivalence. They would tell buyers to go wherever they can go with their “madafu money” and come back with deserved dollars.

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