THE VOICE OF PRAISE: Praise, worship weapons of spiritual warfare

SIMBARASHE MSASANURI
Dar es Salaam

MUSIC is an art form whose medium is sound and, though there are lot of common elements such as pitch, rhythm and dynamics, talent is what makes musicians. Many people have failed to make it in the music industry because they lack the talent to produce products that easily win the hearts of listeners.

It is only those with natural talent who can capture the attention of people and make an impact in an industry saturated by reputable musicians who are already household names.

The latest offing, a debut album, recently unleashed by The Voice of Praise, titled 'Tunakuabudu', is clear testimony that the voices behind the compositions are not mere pushovers and are destined for greater heights.

Listening to the album is a lifetime opportunity that leaves one craving for more, something that shows that the compilation was done in a manner that exhibits artistic prowess. It shows that, the two musicians behind the group, Anchilla Kimaro and Athanas Chagula, possess natural talent that will take them places.

Having a chance to watch these two perform is something that will leave people's lives changed for ever. And, this reporter besides having had a chance to witness one of the performances, managed to catch up with the musicians to tap more into the people behind the melodious voices.

“The name of the group was derived from Isaiah 43 verse 21 and 1 Peter 2 verse 9, that points out that people were created to praise God,” says Kimaro, adding that when God created man, He gave him one of the most unique instruments, the voice, which besides being a communication tool is meant to praise Him.

She added that it was last year when as a choir leader, she saw a gift in Athanas and decided to combine efforts and come up with an album.

On the topic of the album, Athanas says that it is in line with the name of the group because you can't praise somebody you don't worship. “The title of the album, 'Tunakuabudu', we are praising God and we urge people to praise Him with all their their being, resources and whole heartedly,” he adds.

The eight-track album, does not only depict maturity in the manner the songs are arranged but also contains bible-rich lyrics that easily ushers listeners into praising and worshiping God. The song 'Alpha and Omega' is a gem of a song that shows that only the sky is the limit for the two musicians as raw talent is at its best.

The song reminds Christians that God is the beginning and end of their lives to such an extent that without Him, they can't do anything. “He is above everything, there is no one we can trust rather than him and He is able,” says Kimaro.

Another song that is poised for greater heights is 'U Mwema'. “It talks about the goodness of God. It testifies about God's goodness. In this song, we used four languages, Swahili, Sukuma, Haya and Nyakusa,” says Athanas.

'Ni Wewe Tu' is another song that can easily win the hearts of listeners. The worshiping song focuses straight to God. “we are telling him that he is the only one in our lives. When we are blessed or challenged we go to him.”

'Tunakuimbia Sifa', 'Wewe Ndiwe Nguzo', 'Tunakuabudu' and 'Utawala' complete the album. They exhibit not only talent but maturity and will undoubtedly send shocking waves within the music circles, taking the talented musicians to another stage.

To show that talent runs in their veins and were born natural musicians, their talents can be traced as far as tender age. Kimaro was born in Nkaka Village, Nkenge District in Kagera Region and is the fifth born in a family of six children.

As if to prepare her for the task ahead, she enrolled at Kashasha Primary School, attended Kibasila Secondary School before crossing the border to enroll with Shallom Teachers' Training Centre in Nairobi.

Now, a teacher at Kingdom Heritage Model School in Dar es Salaam, Kimaro remembers that she liked singing and playing drums from a tender age. She joined church choir when she was in grade two and she was the attraction then as she used to sing with old people. This was not the end as at school she joined the school choir.

“When I got born again in 1985, one of the things that made me to be born again was the choir. I thank God because being in the choir made me to grow spiritually,” says the soft-spoken Kimaro, adding that she joined the Winners Chapel in 1997 and was one of the founding members of the choir in Dar es Salaam and have been singing in that choir ever since.

“I am one of the praise leaders in the choir and through the teaching I was getting, I realised that to me it's a gift and I decided to work on it. I have been reading books from our Bishop David Oyedepo and pastors working under him,” she adds.

Married to Fredrick Kimaro and blessed with four children, Kimaro thanks her husband for encouragement and being there for her. “ God has blessed me with four children and they are all singers to an extent that they can compose songs,” she says.

On the other hand, Athanas was born in 1984 in Geita District, Mwanza Region. And, just like Kimaro, he started singing at a tender age and has been singing with different groups since then. He also remembers singing with different groups in Shinyanga before moving to Dar es Salaam in 2003 where in 2004 he joined the AIC Dar es Salaam Choir until 2007.

“I then moved to Kitunda PATMO where I was a praise and worship leader up to 2008 in July when I joined Winners Chapel and have been there up today as a choir member and as one of the praise leaders,” says Athanas, adding “I thank God I met my sister here (Kimaro) and this is just but the beginning of where we are going.”

Kimaro interjects: “Everything one needs to reach his destiny is arranged. Athanas is an orphan, when he told me his story, I told him that what will take him further is in him. While he is doing his studies, it's good but there is something in us, you don't need to go to school for you to use your gift.”

She adds that as they named their album, they believe they are singing to praise God. “ We are not doing business, people will buy but our aim is that we want people to worship God,” adding that, we want to tell people that praising and worshiping God, when they do it with understanding they will get breakthroughs.

“Singing and praising God is one of the weapons you can use to defeat Satan. It is a weapon of spiritual warfare and it's more than dancing and jumping. People should do it with meaning,” she says elaborating that she has practiced what she is teaching as she is a living testimony of praising and worshiping.

“I don't know going to hospital and getting admitted, even with my children. It has been a weapon of warfare. I believe God even I am sick,” she adds.

On their future plans in the music industry, the musicians say that they were believing God for a DVD album and that people should be on the look out for another gem soon.

Government should intensify commitment to stop unnecessary spending

By Eugenia Madhidha

One day, some officials belonging to a certain organisation went for a workshop outside the country which was supposed to go for five days. Unfortunately due to reasons beyond their control, the workshop had to go for four days. And, when they got back to their office they claimed allowances for five days. Interestingly, their employer was wise enough to define the allowances for one day they did not attend the workshop as “unnecessary” which made the officials despondent claiming that they were treated unfairly.

The problem of unnecessary spending has been haunting humanity for a long time, but, just as another man's meat can be another's poison, so is the issue of spending where the classification of ‘unnecessary expenditure’ has been manipulated by some people who hide behind fingers to justify their spending.

However, though it might remain true that what people call unnecessary spending can vary and differ according to perception, the government in this country, realised that there was this problem within its ranks and vowed to tackle it.

It is against this background that, Sikika, a non-governmental that deals with health advocacy in Tanzania, recently warned the government (in a press release) that it should intensify its commitment to stop unnecessary spending for the benefit of the tax-payers and channel the money to developmental projects.

Though it came as good news that the sum of all unnecessary expenditures in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as well as regions fell from 684 billion (bn) Tanzanian Shillings (TSh) in financial year (FY) 2008/09 to 530 bn TSh in FY 2009/10, which is a reduction of 22.4 percent. But, for the FY 2010/11 these expenditures are expected to rise slightly to 537 bn TSh, a move which contradicts the government’s stated commitment to spend its resources more wisely.

“People have a habit of “over claiming” when it comes to allowances and other benefits such as fuel. For example, someone wants to embark on a journey that will need only one gallon of fuel but will discover that the person claims two gallons. Why would one need two gallons of fuel when one is enough”, said Rufaro Chatora, one of the presenters representing WHO during a monthly breakfast debate organized by Policy Forum on controlling unnecessary expenditure at the British Council Dar es Salaam where the book titled Unnecessary expenditures: A Brief on the Government’s Initiative to Refocus Expenditure was launched.

It is impressive that Sikika in collaboration with Policy Forum, in the brief that can be found at www.sikika.or.tz and its first edition was produced in April 2010, identified six budget items that are considered to be severely laden with unnecessary expenditures as:- Training (domestic and foreign), Allowances (non-discretionary, discretionary, and in-kind), Travel (in-country and out-of-country), Acquisition of New Vehicles, Fuel, Oil and Lubricants and Hospitality Supplies and Services.

As much as the above-mentioned are important, the main concern here is that they are supposed to be reduced, for example, why should we have nine facilitators for one workshop which can be facilitated by three or so people and why should one get paid for attending allowances for five days while in actual fact he or she would have attended three days? Why should we keep on training the same people, the same thing and not giving others a chance?

It is fortunate that the government has also recognized this problem of unnecessary expenditure and has through its top officials like the Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda committed to increase control over and economize those expenditures. However, urgent measures have to be taken before the problem gets out of hand. The overwhelming rise of unnecessary expenditures is really distasteful and something has to be done about it as the money wasted can be utilised somewhere else for the benefit of the general public.
Urgent measures, therefore, need to be taken in curbing the problem which in most cases benefits the same group of people. It is high time that the government realizes unnecessary spending has ripple effects as in the long run, leads to failure in service delivery and lagging behind in development, something that disadvantages the public, who in most cases are the taxpayers.
It is also important that the general public have access to information when it comes to budgets, so that they can also be in a position to monitor and follow up on how funds meant to benefit them are used. This will go a long way in empowering wananchi so that their voices can be heard once their funds are misused.
The government should, therefore, put in place measures to curb unnecessary expenditure for the benefit of the public and make Tanzania a better place for everyone.

Unity of purpose key to solving medicines and staff shortages

Eugenia Madhidha
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

FOR a place to be deemed a health facility, there are things that are considered to be necessities such as human resources and medicinal drugs, among many others. However, we find so many health facilities in this country failing to meet these standards thereby being reduced to nothing but white elephants.
Recently, it was reported that Dar es Salaam municipal hospitals are facing serious shortages of medicines and medical staff such as nurses and doctors, something that cripples the operations of these health facilities, aggravating the suffering of the general public as they fail to provide quality services to patients.

The most saddening thing is that they continue singing the old song, blaming it on financial constraints as the major root of the problems.

According to the reports, Mwananyamala Municipal Hospital Medical Officer-In-Charge Zuhura Majapa, said that the hospital is currently facing shortage of doctors, nurses and they do not have sufficient medicines. On the other hand, the Amana Municipal Hospital Medical Officer-In-Charge told the media that the hospital is also facing shortage of doctors and nurses and the available specialists cannot efficiently serve the increasing number of patient.

The situation at these two major hospitals in Dar es Salaam, is a cancer affecting many other health facilities throughout the country. The problem of medicinal drugs shortages has been a cause for concern especially for many poor rural dwellers who cannot afford to buy them from pharmacies or those who live in remote areas where pharmacies are either too far away or nonexistent.

It is important to note that medicines are a vital component in a human’s body as they restore human health. Though they can be traced as far back as humanity, they go a long way in saving lives in a world full of dreaded diseases such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, malaria and cholera and so on. It is unfortunate, however, that despite the existence of these medicines many people, especially in Tanzania succumb to diseases because of acute shortages of drugs.
The shortage of medicinal drugs has been prevailing for eons now and, with the look of things, no permanent solution is in sight for the problem as blame game is the order of the day. It is unfortunate that many citizens think that medical practitioners are to blame for the non availability of medicines at health centers. For example a Sikika (NGO that deals with health issues) volunteer who identified himself as Redemptus came across some patients who were complaining about the non availability of medicines at Kafuma health facility and he had to help the doctor-in-charge to explain to angry patients the procedures and steps taken until medicines are delivered to health facilities.
In most cases, when confronted by patients who will be eager to know the reasons for the shortages, medical practitioners shift the blame on the MSD for not supplying the medicines while on the other hand the MSD blames both the government, for owing them money, a move that cripples their operations and the medical practitioners in health centers for misusing the medicines by selling them in private pharmacies.
On the other hand, the government blames both the MSD and health officials for the problem. The blame game is in most cases counterproductive as the root cause of the problem remains unaddressed.
Citizens, therefore, should not be vilified when they complain about the problems they come across whenever they visit health facilities. It remains true that some have lost trust in these health centres as they are either forced to spend long hours waiting to be served because of lack of medical staff or are forced to fork out their hard earned cash to buy medicines from pharmacies. This seems to have cultivated a dangerous practice where some people don't seek medical treatment, hoping that the diseases will complete their cycle and they will be healed naturally.
According to the speech by the Minister for Health and Social Welfare when he was presenting ministry budget for FY 2010/11 in the parliament on 28th June 2010 an amount of Tsh 61.6 billion was allocated for buying of drugs and supplies( vifatiba na vitendanishi katika Zahanati, vituo vya afya na hospitali za umma) and Tsh 287 billion for buying and distribution of HIV and malaria drugs around the country . But, what is surprising is that health facilities throughout the country continue facing medicinal drugs shortages despite a huge amount being reserved to address the problem.
And, with the look of things, it seems no solution is in sight for the problem and this disadvantages the ordinary person on the street. It is, therefore, important to note that it remains the responsibility of the MSD, government and the medical practitioners to make sure that medicines reach the intended target. This, however, can only be done if each one of these responsible authorities do their job diligently and stop pointing fingers at each other.
On the other hand, it is important for the powers that be to address the perennial shortage of medical staff. Much noise has been made about it while less action seems to have been taken to address it.
This, therefore, means that there is need for concerted effort to end these social anomalies to not only make life easier for ordinary citizens but also save lives.
Ends

Fare ye well Chakanetsa Chidyamatiyo

By Simbarashe Msasanuri

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

A quarrel between two first year students at the Midlands State University in the Media and Society Studies August Intake class, ten years ago, could have been disastrous for two aspiring journalists had it degenerated into a fist fight as it could have signaled the end of their dreams. According to the regulations of the institution, outright expulsion was the price paid by those who traded books for fists.

However, the maturity shown by one of the students in trying to prevent the situation from getting out of hand saved the day. Had he reacted in a manner that any other ordinary person could have done, we could have been talking of a different story today.

We were all new during that time and we hardily knew each other but, the traits revealed by this guy showed that he was destined for greatness. It didn't take me another day to know the name of the person I am talking about, who was none other than Chakanetsa Chidyamatiyo. A guy who rose to greater heights in the journalism fraternity but whose ambitions were cut abruptly after a horrific car crash claimed his life last week.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I stumbled upon a message on Facebook that journalist Chakanetsa Chidyamatiyo had been killed in a road accident the previous night. But, after a series of enquiries, reality dawned on me that one of the 39- media moguls was no more. I knew that part of the journeys of our lives we had travelled together had come to an end. A common Shona saying that munhu akanaka haararami rightly applies to Chaka whose existence on this earth was restricted to 30years. A journey he had started when when Mr and Mrs Chidyamatiyo were blessed with a baby boy in Mazowe and decided to name him Chakanetsa.

With a bleeding heart, I had no choice but to thank God for the few years that we had spent together, the years that shaped our lives and destinies. A life that started at MSU where the drama I mentioned earlier on occurred.

When I witnessed that incident in 2000, I personally admired him for he was not only slow to anger but had shown everyone that he could coexist with his fellow students without a problem. It wasn’t surprising, therefore, that we ended up befriending each other. A friendship that was cemented by the fact that the August intake was more of a family due to the vilification we were getting from other sectors of the institution because the group was full of extraordinary talent.

I still vividly remember the days we spent together, joked together and helped each other to tackle tough assignments at college. We used to walk the then narrow strip from Senga to the campus and back as you,Chaka, used to live a stone’s throw away from where I lived. We were more like a family then together with your roommates, Innocent Chiyadzwa and Samuel Mujaka.

The days when we used to survive on green vegetables after our payouts (VTL) ran out or the powers that be would, due to one reason or the other, have delayed the disbursement. Those days, we used to sleep late writing assignments or doing group discussions in preparation for the final exams. How we braved the chilly Gweru weather in winter and excessive heat in summer at the famous Hunger Square studying, something that became a launch pad to the profession we loved and were passionate about.

During all that time, you showed that you were a team player as you were always available every time other students needed your input. You were also enterprising, something that was aided by your sociability as in some cases you could use all that to get some materials especially from students who were in classes ahead of us.

These qualities helped you to fit into this thankless profession that went on to claim your life. Eulogies on your Facebook profile show that you were a man of the people. Scores of people among them journalists did not hide their utter disbelief and grief over your departure.

You were willing to share your knowledge with your juniors and your colleagues, some of whom sounded their appreciation (on Facebook) especially on how you shaped their careers by guiding them. It also emerged that you were still having all the other qualities of being a team player, always willing to share information and of being an enterprising man.

These are the same traits that helped you to make a name for yourself in this profession, in 2002, when you joined The Herald for your industrial attachment. I remember being proud of you then especially when I came across your by-lined stories. It was obvious by then that you were destined for greater heights.

After graduation, uncertainty engulfed us as reality had struck in our theory laden heads that time for group discussions were over and what was only left was for us to put into practice what we had acquired for four years. Little did we know that our journeys were once again to collide as we found ourselves working together at The Daily Mirror in 2005 and 2006.

Your departure to rejoin The Herald on June 1, 2006, when you were appointed the paper's Mashonaland Central bureau chief, based in Bindura never came as a surprise to me given what you were capable of doing, not mentioning what you had accomplished. Though we continued to communicate during that time, I didn’t know that destiny had it that were going to work together again, when I joined The Herald exactly a year after you had left The Daily Mirror.

Though you were based in Bindura, you really showed that you were a journalist par-excellence. You continued to show the world what you were made of. I still remember those juicy stories from Mashonaland Central and every time I worked on them or came across them in the newspaper, I could feel that sense of belonging, as if I had played a part in them because they reminded me of a fellow cde, a friend who had his work at heart.

Chaka as we used to call you at college or Chidya as you were affectionately known by fellow journalists in the industry were a down to earth person, a team worker, an outstanding journalist, well respected for your informed analysis.

We had to part again when I left The Herald but we continued communicating especially on Facebook. My heart goes to your family, especially your little kids you loved so much. The ones you struggled for unto death. I remember we had a long conversation recently when you told me to check the prices of some commodities this side. Those you wanted to use to prepare for the future of these beloved angels.

I remember checking the prices, and I advised you to try down south (South Africa) as their prices this side, were beyond reach. This conversation, where we promised each other that we will meet in December and try to map the way forward, became the last. Little did we know that we were building castles in the air.

I couldn’t be there when you were laid to rest last Friday, but from what I heard and from the scores of people who came to bid you farewell, you had won the hearts of the people. The people who loved you even unto death

Fare ye well Chaka, you fought a good fight and you walked your journey on this earth leaving indelible marks in our hearts. You will sadly be missed media mogul. May your soul rest in eternal peace Chaka. Famba murugare Chidya, till we meet again.

simsasanuri@yahoo.com

Supporting informal traders key to economic development

Simbarashe Msasanuri
Confusion reigns supreme as people jostle to buy different commodities displayed along the narrow streets, where vendors who are shouting on top of their voices in a bid to woe customers, are displaying their wares virtually blocking the road.
Different items are on sale at this illegal market where pedestrians find it difficult to pass through and go their way. A vendor could be heard shouting “Elfu Moja,. Elfu Moja “ while another one is shouting another amount to such an extent that one will be forgiven to mistake it to a psychiatric ward.
This describes a situation at Kariakoo especially during weekends where vendors continue to maintain a heavy presence despite a ban imposed by city fathers, prohibiting them from doing their business in undesignated areas.
These people have been blamed as the main causes of filthiness in the city. Dar es Salaam is in a sorry state where garbage carpets the streets and inconveniencing residents and passersby. In fact, a permanent solution to the problem seems to be eluding the powers that be.
In recent years, many attempts have been made to curb the problem but all efforts have been in vain. The city council having realized that petty traders contribute significantly to pollution in the city, employed city militia to arrest those found selling their wares at un designated areas. This however, seems to be failing since vendors and the militia play hide and seek game resulting in traders maintaining a heavy presence on our street
The city fathers and the police jointly formed an auxiliary police force last year to help deal with the problem of filthiness and vendors. The auxiliary police, headed by former police commanders, are there to enforce city by-laws including fining those that are found throwing garbage onto the streets.
Everyone found on the wrong side of the law will be fined 50 000/- . Speaking during a ceremony to inaugurate the force and allocate uniforms for the different municipalities in the region, then, Dar es Salaam Regional commissioner, William Lukuvi warned city residents that they should comply with city by-laws or leave, adding that those who fail to comply will face the wrath of the law.
It is unfortunate that no solution seems to be in sight for the problem of vendors in Dar es Salaam. Though vendors and petty traders have been labeled as a menace in the city, they use their small businesses to ward off the effects of the global economic crisis that is rocking the world.
The businesses have brought in smiles on the faces of most families whose members could be sleeping on empty stomachs but who are now having food on the table every evening. Many parents are using the proceeds from these businesses to send their children to school and provide for day to day needs of the family.
It also remains true that the informal and the private sectors contribute not only to the economy of this country but go a long way in improving the lives of the ordinary people. A lot more could be achieved if these people are assisted in establishing viable businesses.
The reports that government has pledged to further support the private sector could not have come at any better time than this. The government recently promised to support local investors to boost economic growth and reduce poverty.
This was said by the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Shamsa Mwangunga, during a visit to small scale firm that deals in building materials.
She promised that the government would ensure that it enabled local investors and create a conducive environment for investment.
The minister said the government recognizes the contribution of such companies towards the economy of this country.
This, if implemented will go a long way in developing this country by boosting the economy and address the problem of poverty. But, instead of running loosing battles with vendors, the government should devise ways to support these entrepreneurs who are striving to eke a living.
The government and city fathers should designate strategic places where the vendors will have easy access to customers because at the moment they invade areas such as Kariakoo because they are strategic because they get more customers.
These traders also need financial support to develop their businesses. Once tense businesses expand, then they will be forced out of the streets as they will look for more secure places to do business.
It is vital, therefore, that support is extended to the informal sector, and a move that will go a long way in solving the problem of informal traders on the streets while on the other hand will help to keep the streets clean. Failure to do so, Dar es Salaam will remain an eyesore.
Ends.

War on counterfeits rages on as TBS introduces imported goods certification mark

Eugeniah Madhidha
Light seems to be shining at the end of a dark tunnel for the Tanzanian market, which for eons has been battling the presence of counterfeit goods, as the country’s products watchdog, Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS), has made some inroads by introducing a new certification mark for all genuine imported goods.
The import standardization mark was presented to stakeholders by TBS Director, Charles Ekelege, during a pre-implementation conference for stakeholders held at the watchdog’s headquarters in Dar es Salaam recently.
The introduced mark is meant to ensure that genuine imported products are easily identified by consumers. This comes at a time when the war agai8nst fake commodities seemed to have been lost in this country because the rate at which counterfeits were invading this country then, it wasn’t going to be surprising if we ended up having fake people.
The country’s free economy, globalization, capitalism and laxity on policing have been blame for a long time as the primary contributing factors fueling the prevalence of fake goods on the market.
The problem of fake goods in this country has been with us for a long time now. And, this year alone TFDA had to deal with several cases in a bid to redress the situation.
Early this year, the Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA) banned the anti-malaria drug Metakelfin and ordered all vendors and health centres to return the remaining stocks to their wholesale suppliers.
TFDA Director Ms Magreth Ndomondo-Sigonda, was quoted saying that the order goes simultaneously with stopping the same drugs from being imported, distributed and sold in the country.
“We're stopping use of this drug until further notice,” Sigonda insisted during a press conference held at the TFDA offices in Dar es Salaam. Explaining the move, she said TFDA had noticed that many tablets imported and sold currently were counterfeits and had a poor efficacy in the curing of malaria.
“Vendors who bought the medicine legally should be refunded by the sellers ,” the TFDA director said. Laboratory observations conducted in March this year noted that drugs labeled Batch Number E378A were counterfeits and not fit for human treatment. Other batches in the list were G894A, G895A, G043A, G035A E378A and E088A. These have a low content of Sulphamethopyrazine and Pyrimethamine 25mg which are useful for curing malaria,” she said.
As if this problem was not enough, the media revealed the prevalence of fake S-26 breast milk substitute baby formula. This was condemned by a wide section of the society and revealed that thousands of babies’ lives were at risk in the country as the fake milk had negative effects on their health.
This forced TFDA to act swiftly and confiscate a total of 38,560 tins of S-26 infant formula manufactured by Pharmacare Woodmead- Sandton, South Africa which they sampled and declared unfit for human consumption after laboratory tests.
Then of late, the Tanzania Solar Energy Association (TASEA) has revealed that substandard and counterfeit solar panels are being sold in various shops selling electrical appliances in Kariakoo, Dar es Salaam,.
TASEA Executive Secretary Eng. Mathew Matimbwi, was quoted recently saying that, “after receiving many complaints, they carried out investigations and realized the existence of counterfeits in some shops visited during the exercise.
Eng. Matimbwi said that most of the solar panels that don't have instructions inscribed at the back side are said to be made in China and were sold for up to 400,000/- in some shops which is too expensive for 'wananchi'.
These are just but few incidents where the watchdogs have battled this social misnomer and in trying to contain it, TBS, recently announced that they were planning to carry out pre-shipment verification of consignment (PVoC) from the country or place of origin.
This move is meant to verify the status of all goods imported into this country before they even leave their country of origin.
And, addressing stakeholders when presenting a certification mark for imported item, Ekelege said: “We want to reach a point where there is no substandard product in the market, be it locally manufactured or imported,” adding that that the mark will go a long way in enhancing fair competition in the market.
To make sure that this will work, the director said, violators of the rules governing the mark will face various penalties, including licence termination, orders to withdraw products from the market and destruction of the product or returning it to the country of origin at the investor’s expense.
Addressing the same gathering, Acting Head of Quality Management Department Eng. Joshua Katabwa said the import standardization mark shall be affixed on all approved items, and called upon importers to comply with this new requirement.
“Electronic verification of the authenticity of the mark on products shall be conducted during inspections and any mark not traceable to the data base shall be treated as illegal and the culprits shall be traced for legal action,” he added.
Though this is a turning point in the fight against fake products and will go a long way in curbing the cancer, more need to be done to educate wananchi on the mark so that they know and identify original goods from fake ones using the mark.
As long as wananchi are in the dark in as far as the existence of the mark is concerned then this will be tantamount to a man winking at a woman in the dark. In other words it will be wasted effort as the general public will continue being taken advantage of.
Ends.

Will EWURA intervention solve Dar water problems?

Eugenia Madhidha
The place is crowded, women putting on kangas are miserably sitting on their buckets, some could be seen gossiping while others are anxiously waiting for their turn to draw water, scores of men with pushcarts loaded with empty plastic containers are also agonizingly waiting for their turn to get the precious liquid.
The place is a mess with water being splashed everywhere leaving the area wet and muddy. One will be forgiven to mistaken the place to a fish market, but alas, the place describes central water collection point in Yombo-Kilakala which is a common place in most high density suburbs in Dar es Salaam.
The water collection point popularly known as bombani are strategically located in these areas to an extent that residents draw water from central points in the suburbs. The problem, however, is that they are very few such that some have to walk for long distances to get to a nearest point. This problem has been mainly caused by vandalism and theft.
Last year, the Dar es Salaam Water and Sanitation Authority (DAWASA) and Dar es Salaam Water and Sanitation Corporation (DAWASCO), revealed that they suffered vandalism and theft despite steps to counter the stealing of pipes and other water equipment which were affecting the water supply network in the city.
According to DAWASA then, more than 360 pieces worth some 700m/- were stolen since 2006. The pieces include valves, fire hydrants, flanges, coupling, water meters, pipe joints and steel cover and were still working on recovering them.
These problems have been denying wananchi access to clean water in Dar es Salaam to an extent that some of the residents have been forced to fetch water from unprotected shallow wells, something that posses a great danger to their health.
This quest for making quick buck has seen many people engaging in uncouth activities such as stealing of water equipment or illegal connections to the water supply network. DAWASCO has been for a long-time discovered many illegal connections that they disconnected, by-passing official connections to avoid paying for the water used.
Last year, three people were arrested in Sinza, Dar es Salaam for allegedly tampering with DAWASCO infrastructure. The company’s chief commercial officer, Raymond Mndolwa said then that the suspects drilled into big eight inch water pipe and allegedly connected their pipes that enabled them to access water and started selling it to customers including big water vehicles.
Six water pumps were confiscated in the operation at three houses in the area. Such acts of sabotage are counter productive as they thwart efforts by the government to provide clean water to wananchi as greedy citizens take advantage and make it an opportunity to rack millions of dollars.
However all hope is not lost as the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA) directed the DAWASA to improve the water supply and sewerage services, including installation of meters.
According to EWURA’s recent newsletter, DAWASA was given an ultimatum to increase the number of metered customers to 104,000 by the end of this month, helping customers to be charged according to consumption.
Areas expected to be metered by the end of this month include, Kimara,Kibaha, Dar es Salaam city centre and Boko.
More to that, the newsletter indicates that DAWASA should reduce unaccounted for water to 40% by June this year. This will go a long way in alleviating the problem of water shortages in the city as a lot of unaccounted for water is lost through vandalism and unattended to burst pipes.
It will also remain a sad story for many residents in high density suburbs as the ultimatum does not directly benefit them. Those who will smile most are those with the means to pay for the metered water and the responsible authorities should see to it that water is availed to everyone including the ordinary person on the streets.
But, with vandalism continuing to cripple the water distribution network and burst pipes taking long to be attended to, then the problem of water in Dar es Salaam is far from over. It is vital that everyone plays his or her part to safeguard the equipment failure to do that water provision will remain a nightmare for the powers that be in the city and the ordinary people will continue to suffer as Dar will remain a dry city
Ends.

Dar businesses operate in fear of fire outbreaks

EUGENIA MADHIDHA
‘Fire! Fire! Call the fire brigade.’ This has become a common saying in Dar es Salaam as many fire outbreaks are being reported frequently leaving many businesspeople crippled and having nowhere to start from since their commodities would have been destroyed in the inferno.
Fire outbreaks have become so common that media houses are awash with reports of fire incidents within the city. In most cases, the causes of the outbreaks usually remain mysterious but in a few circumstances that the causes have been unearthed, most of them are linked to human error.
Fire can be caused by so many things which are countless. These include cigarettes, sparks from electrical machines or plugs just but to mention a few. That is why the words ‘no smocking’ are common in most business premises especially those that deal with inflammable substances such as fuel and gas.
Leaving electrical gadgets plugged and unswitched off when leaving business premises has also been blamed as another cause of fire in some premises.
Though many cases have been witnessed in Dar recently what comes to our mind is the recent incident when Tanzania Breweries Ltd was gutted by fire.
The overnight inferno destroyed dozens of crates with empty beer bottles estimated to be worth 4.5bn/-. The cause of the fire, however, is still being investigated though the incident was described as an act of sabotage.
A few days later another business premises was razed down by fire. Murzah Oil Mill’s Jumbo Packaging print industries in Kipawa, Dar es Salaam was reduced to ashes..
The fire was caused by flying sparks from a welding machine and destroyed property worth billions of shillings. Asked for a comment, the company’s managing director, Abdul Zakaria, could not immediately state the extent of the damage caused by the fire but he said each warehouse stored at least 1.000 tonnes of packaging rollers of papers estimated to be costing billions of shillings.
Besides the above major incidents to recently rock Dar, so many other fires were reported leaving businesspeople shading tears and wondering if ever they will be able to stand back to their feet again.
It is against this background that the business sector continues to operate in fear of fire outbreaks. What is more disturbing, however is that many businesspeople don’t know what to do when they are faced with this situation and worse still what steps to do to prevent the fires.
A snap survey carried out by this reporter revealed that most of the people don’t believe fires can be prevented. They attributed it to fate.
“I believe fire outbreaks don’t just occur. It’s a matter of bad luck and once it attacks you, you won’t escape from it, no matter hard you try to prevent the fire,” said Daudi Mlope a businessman who runs a successful grocery shop near Bakwata Busi Stand in Yombo.
Most businesspeople, however, blamed the fire brigade, popularly known as Zimamoto for their failure to quickly respond to fire outbreaks.
“The fire brigades are to blame, because they take urges to respond to a call and worst still they come unprepared either without adequate water or ill equipped,” said one businesswoman who requested anonymity.
She also added that a lot of property could be saved if the fire fighters put their house in order.
The fire brigade department has for a long time reiterated that they were doing their best to fight fires in the city, turning the blame on many barriers that stifle their efforts..
Traffic jams have been described as the main challenge this department is facing in executing their duties. This causes them to reach their destination very late and at a time when fire would have destroyed a larger chunk of the property.
Addressing the press recently the Dar es Salaam Head of Rescue and Fire Brigade, Fikiri Salla, not only did he blame the unplanned erection of tall buildings and traffic jams as major challenges the department was facing, but also highlighted the problem of insufficient water at fire brigade stations.
He said it was a challenge that is complicating fire extinguishing exercises in case of fire outbreaks.
Despite all these challenges facing the fire fighting department in the city, the responsible authorities are not helplessly watching as fire continue to wreck havoc but have embarked on measures to counter this social anomaly.
It is against this background that the city council recently sent ten employees to Germany for practical training on how to deal with fire incidents.
In addition, it spent 12m/- as transport costs for two special fire engines, from Japan to Tanzania, meant to enhance fire fighting in the city.
The vehicles have been donated by the government of Japan and are part of the bilateral cooperation in supporting the social development in the country.
As much important as it is to educate business people on how to deal with the fire when it visit them, it is also important to teach them on how to prevent the problem. As the saying goes ‘prevention is better than cure.’
Ends

‘Fast foods’ – business or death sentence

Eugeniah Madhidha

The coming in of the global economic crisis has seen most families venturing into small businesses to save themselves from the devastating effects. This has seen many Tanzanians venturing into food businesses selling various types of foods, ranging from roasted chicken, chips, fruits and so on just but to mention a few.

Though these businesses have brought in smiles on the faces of most families whose members could be sleeping on empty stomachs but who are now having food on the table every evening, these food vendors have for a long time now been blamed for operating under unhygienic areas something that can fuel diseases.

These vendors have been blamed not only of spreading the dreaded cholera, but have also been blamed for fueling reckless eating habits for the ordinary people in this country who eat what ever they come across as long as it is cheap.

A cardiologist from India's Nayarayana Hrudulayala Heart Institute, Dr Pujar Suresh, over the weekend said the majority of Tanzanians risk getting diabetes and high blood pressure due to poor eating habits.

The heart specialist made the remarks in Dar es Salaam shortly after examining about 200 patients at the Regency Medical Centre during a two-day free heart testing.

Dr Suresh noted that his examinations found out that the number of patients were overweight and shown signs of diabetes, whose cause is over eating as well as eating haphazardly.

A snap survey by this reporter revealed that many people eat blindly as they don’t care much as to what goes into their mouths as long as it is affordable.

“ I usually do not mind what I eat, though I have my favourite food which is fish and rice. I eat a wide range of foods. What determines what I eat is my pocket. Sometimes I just buy a soft drink and chips or chicken if I have money,” said a man who identified himself as Pendo, a resident of Yombo, Kilakala

He went on to say that food is readily accessible in Dar es Salaam and that normally he eats at a number of places and different meals though he has his favourite place.

Another resident, who couldn’t be drawn into mentioning her name confirmed that many people eat haphazardly and that what usually determine what people eat, is the size of their pockets.

The Acting Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner, Evance Balama, has already issued a statement warning the vendors to stop operating from unhygienic places such as open areas to curb the cholera pandemic, but this if fully implemented will not only save the public when it comes to the pandemic, but will go a long way in reducing eating of fast foods that are hurriedly prepared, that have been attributed to the heart problems facing many people.

It is unfortunate that the RC’s order has been stalled by laxity and bribery allegations amongst city executives and militiamen. On the other hand, the vendors have remained adamant that they will continue with their businesses despite the existence of an order barring them from doing so.

Dr Pujar Suresh went on to urge the government to take immediate actions by providing education to the public through mass media to save people from the risks.

This will go a long way in conscientising people so that they worry of their health and eat healthy foods. Failure to do, many ordinary people will continue to eat their way to their graves after succumbing to heart diseases, something not good for development.

Ends.

Whither war on cholera

. . . as food vendors defy orders to stop selling unhygienic foods

EUGENIA MADHIDHA

THE cholera pandemic continues to cause untold suffering to wananchi through out the country despite concerted efforts by the authorities to curb the social anomaly. If reality on the ground and recent figures on reported and recorded cholera cases are to go by, then there is no light at the end of the tunnel as the disease is spreading like veld fire.

The coming in of the rain season, coupled with the general populace’s lack of hygienic consciousness has been blamed for the ever increasing number of cholera cases recorded through out the country.

Though no latest updates on cholera cases could be obtained by the time of going to press, statistics availed last week revealed that Dar es Salaam Region had a total of 211 cases that had been reported so far.

Temeke District was said to be having the highest number of reported cholera cases where 73 had been recorded while Kinondoni District had 68 and Ilala had 70.

Contacted for comment then, the Acting Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner, Evance Balama, said: “I want to remind people to observe hygiene especially when preparing food as city executives are working on modalities to bring awareness to the public on the disease.”

The RC also expressed fear that city executives are taking bribes as they were ignoring an order he issued earlier banning all food vendors preparing and selling food in open and unhygienic areas, instructing the city authorities to descend on them.

According to the order, all vendors operating from unhygienic areas were supposed to stop their business or face legal action. This was so because they were blamed for fueling the spreading of cholera.

The RC’s fears were confirmed by Ilala municipal authorities recently who admitted the presence of bribery and corruption amongst city executive officers and city militia when it comes to an exercise of removing food vendors operating in open and unhygienic areas.

This was confirmed by the Ilala Municipal Director, Gabriel Fiume that it was true that some militia are involved in such acts.

According to him, it is difficult for the exercise to be implemented at once because of these problems so in a bid to curb bribery, city militia men were now deployed on rotational basis, saying that no militiaman will be assigned to work in one place for more than one week.

“The reshuffle system will help given the fact that vendors do not develop friendships with militiamen and thus cannot create any chance for her/him to be bribed,” he said.

Despite all these efforts and laxity by city authorities in as far as dealing with cholera is concerned, reality on the ground shows that the war against the disease is far from being won. A visit by this reporter in Temeke District, one of the most affected districts in this region reveals that city fathers still have a lot of work to do.

The situation in Tandika is pathetic to say the list. Food vendors openly and continue to sell food under unhygienic environment despite the order. In separate interviews with this reporter, vendors in Tandika said they have no other source of income and life is difficult so they will continue to risk and defy the order in order for them to feed their families.

“We are aware that there is an order banning us from selling food items in open areas, but, if we are to abandon this business then what will we do? We have hungry mouths to feed at home, so if they want us to stop this then they should give us hygienic places to do our business,” said a sugarcane vendor who requested anonymity.

The situation at Mwembe Yanga was not pleasing also as vendors were operating near pools of dirty rainy water mixed with garbage. On the near side is a fried chicken vendor whose operational environment leaves a lot to be desired. Other vendors could also be seen, crowded at the same area selling different types of foodstuffs such as mangoes, oranges, sugarcane and many other types of foods.

The busy area, which also operates as a bus stand, is in a sorry state and food vendors there became suspicious of this reporter, despite having identified herself, they were not cooperating as they thought the reporter was one of the council officials who had come to implement the ban. However, they confirmed being aware of the ban but could not shed more light on their defiance.

At Yombo Kilakala and Vituka areas the situation wasn’t any better. The situation is worse in this godforsaken area where women in these suburbs prepare and sell different kinds of foods such as chapatti, mihogo and mandazi just but to mention few by the roadside where the environment they prepare food is not hygienic at all. Their wares are not covered and dust from the passing vehicles quickly settles onto the food, not to talk about swarms of flies that will be feasting on the food.

A look at meat vendors especially those selling chicken pieces, is not pleasing. The meat is exposed both to dust and flies to an extent that it needs people with stronger hearts to buy and worse still cook and eat. Asked why they continue defying an order banning them, some professed ignorance while others cited economic hardships as their main reasons.

With no solution in sight for the problem of unhygienic foods being sold on our streets, then the problem of cholera is here to stay. It remains true that with the global economic recession taking its toll on ordinary citizens, then they wouldn’t let go their sole source of income without a fight or resistance, making the job of city authorities to clear the streets of unhygienic foods an insurmountable task.

As long as no solution is found for the problem of food vending, with vendors continue to defy orders to stop selling from unhygienic places, then winning the war against cholera will just but remain a dream.

Ends.

Will Dar auxiliary police end the problem of garbage?

EUGENIA MADHIDHA

The place is filthy as heaps of garbage keep on piling especially from vegetable vendors strategically positioned along the street and those from a nearby market. Not only is the place an eyesore, but also a pungent smell comes out of the dump causing everyone who passes through that place to spit.

Surprisingly, just a few meters away from there is a woman selling food stuffs, opposite is a restaurant and a swam of flies probably from the garbage dump are not only unwanted visitors but are an inconvenience to those enjoying their delicious meals.

The dinners are not only forced to ward off the flies but find themselves removing those that would have been fried together with their meals. This is not a fictitious story from a novel but describes the situation on the ground along one of the streets in Karakoo.

At the place you can find all kinds of garbage you may think of, banana, oranges and other fruit peals, rotten vegetables, papers, empty water bottles and so on. What flabbergast me most is that the people contributing to the ever piling rubbish are aware of the consequences. Diseases like cholera, dysentery, stomach upsets just to mention three are not exceptions when it comes to dirty environment.

“We know of the problems we might face from throwing rubbish everywhere but we have no option because there are no rubbish bins”, said a nearby food vendor who requested anonymity. She added that even if one happens to buy a rubbish bin the city council takes ages to collect the garbage.

A snap survey conducted by this reporter indicates that it is true there are no adequate rubbish bins on the streets of Dar es Salaam. One can walk from corner to corner without coming across a rubbish bin. This is the main reason people throw garbage everywhere in the streets.

Summer season is the hottest and there is no doubt water sales are increasing day by day. The weather causes people to buy water in a short space of time for them not to suffer from dehydration. Also, this is the season where we find many fruits so their prices decline and many people are found buying them a lot, hence the rate at which people are going to be throwing of garbage is bound to increase.

The problem of garbage carpeting the streets and inconveniencing residents and passersby in Dar es Salaam has been with us for a longtime now. In fact, a permanent solution to the problem seems to be eluding the powers be.

In recent years, many attempts have been made to curb the problem but all efforts have been in vain. The city council having realized that petty traders contribute significantly to pollution in the city, employed city militia to arrest those found selling their wares at un designated areas. This however, seems to be failing since vendors and the militia play hide and seek game resulting in traders maintaining a heavy presence on our streets.

At this darkest hour of the evening, light seems to be shining in Dar es Salaam since the police and the city council have teamed up to curb this problem.

They jointly formed an auxiliary police force that will be operating in the Dar es Salaam region. The auxiliary police, headed by former police commanders, will be there to enforce city by-laws including fining those that are found throwing garbage onto the streets.

Everyone found on the wrong side of the law will be fined $50 000/- . Speaking during a ceremony to inaugurate the force and allocate uniforms for the different municipalities in the region, this week, Dar es Salaam Regional commissioner, William Lukuvi warned city residents that they should comply with city by-laws or leave, adding that those who fail to comply will face the wrath of the law.

At the ceremony, Temeke municipality auxiliary police were given grey coluor, Ilala municipality auxiliary police will wear green while Kinondoni got maroon and the Dar es Salaam city council police will put on blue.

The RC said that the exercise will nab those who litter the city haphazardly throwing food leftovers, plastic bottles and papers on the streets.

Though this is a step towards the right direction, more seems to be needed in order to put an end to the problem of litter. Fining people for throwing litter onto the streets alone will not help as there are no bins for them to use. This therefore means that there is need for concerted efforts by both the public and private sectors to fight this social anomaly.

This is so because as long as there are no rubbish bins in the streets, and garbage remains uncollected for months then Dar es Salaam will continue being an eyesore.

Ends.

Coins selling – A necessity or liability?

EUGENIA MADHIDHA

TWO boys were digging a hole at their parents’ house as they were playing and one of them said that if they get (from their digging) a 200/- coin they were going to buy some sweets. The other one disagreed and said that they were going to buy books and write what they want. A heated debate ensured degenerating into a fist fight.

Their mother heard of the noise and came out of the house and demanded to know why they were fighting.

But undeterred by the presence of the mother, the boys continued arguing, “No! We are going to buy books,” said one of the boys. “You stupid, I told you we are going to buy sweets,” argued the other.

Out of curiosity the mother asked where the money was and where they got it from.

Then one of the boys said “We haven’t got it yet.”

Surely, coins are important such that even kids become happy if you give them some. The shrewd ones have decided to earn a living out of coins and indeed they are smiling everyday because coins are on demand especially to bus conductors.

Early this year, the Surface and Marine Transport Regulation Authority (SUMATRA) reduced transport costs of transport costs especially for urban areas. In Dar for example, fares were reduced from 300/- to 250/- for shorter distances.

This gave conductors a lot of headaches since it was difficult to get 50/- coins for change. As a result, a lot of commuters cried foul over losing a lot of 50/- to conductors.

This then necessitated coin sellers to provide the much needed coins and there has been a remarkable increase in the number of people trading in coins.

As the situation threatened to go out of hand, the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) imposed a ban on the practice arguing that it was illegal and fuels corruption.


A snap survey carried out by the Times unearthed that the ban has fallen on deaf ears as the coins business is thriving.

The coins sellers do it in broad day light and openly display their wares without fear of being reprimanded. With these difficult times aggravated by the global economic recession, those undertaking the business are eking a living out of it.

According to them, they are now able to feed their families and fulfill other obligations. Countless commuters and buses are always on the road, which means more business to the coins sellers.

“I don’t know anything about the banning of coins, but even though, this is my only way of surviving. I have been in this kind of business for sometime now and I can’t complain,” said a coins seller at Bakwata in Yombo who just identified himself as Mudi.

This man is selling 950/- of coins at 1000/- and can get thousands of shillings though he did not specify. They are three in his family and all are in the same type of business, his brothers are operating from other business centres.

However, the price of coins varies according to places. At the new Post Office in town, the price is higher as compared to Bakwata. A woman at Posta is selling 800/- coins for 1000/-.

The woman who requested anonymity, said life is going on well. “I’m earning a living out of trading in coins,” she said adding that if the police decide to come after them like they once did, she will not know where to start from.

Though a paradox remains as to whether coins business is a necessity or a liability the BoT should weigh the merits and demerits of the business and come up with a bold move.

Though labeled as illegal and fueling corruption, the sector feeds many mouths in Tanzania and provides relief to many commuters who for a long time had been losing a lot of money through change problems as bus conductors were hiding behind the scarcity of 50/- coins to amass extra cash.

Mourning the untimely demise of THISDAY chief graphic designer

SIMBARASHE MSASANURI
Dar es Salaam

THE atmosphere was pregnant with sorrow and it was a heart-rending experience as the IPP Executive Chairman, Reginald Mengi, led scores of mourners, among them relatives, workmates and friends to pay their last respects to Redemptus Angelo Ngereza. The visibly shaken and heart broken mourners were slowly moving in a queue to catch a last glimpse of the deceased at the Kinondoni Cemetery in Dar es Salaam last Thursday.

Many people could not contain their composure as streams of tears could be seen rolling down their cheeks, others were sobbing while others were struggling to show their bravery as they looked, shook their heads in disbelief as if to protest to God on why he had taken their beloved colleague, a man who for many had gone too early.

The whole drama started on 23 April, 1971 in Mrutungulu Village, Ukerewe District, in Mwanza Region, when a boy was born. His parents named him Redemptus, a Latin name meaning emancipated, redeemed, liberated or freed. And, true to the meaning of his name, Redemptus, grew up into someone who was always willing to help by redeeming others through sound advices and an exemplary life many people lived to emulate.

To prepare for duties and tasks ahead of him, Redemptus joined Mrutungulu Primary School for his primary education before moving to Dar es Salaam where he enrolled with Mgulani Secondary School in 1987 to start his secondary education.

After completing his Ordinary Level in 1990, he later crossed the border to Nairobi, Kenya where he joined St Joseph’s Worker Training Centre for a certificate in Computer Software skills which he completed in 1995.

Soon after completing the course, he immediately joined the Guardian Limited as a graphic designer before moving to Mwananchi Communications Limited. (MCL) It was when he was at The Guardian that he gained a lot of experience and was a darling of many workers. Most of his workmates then, knew him for his ever smiling face and they nicknamed him Tembe.

Tembe left MCL in September 2005 to become one of the founding members of Media Solutions Limited as a graphic designer where he rose through the ranks to become the Chief Graphic Designer for both papers, THISDAY and KULIKONI.

It was a sombre mood in the newsroom last week on Monday after the news about the untimely death of the soft spoken Redemptus had filtered through. Many of his workmates could not believe it as he had last visited the office less than 24 hours before his death, in a jovial mood as usual. There was no sign on him that could suggest that he was not going to make it through the next 24 hours.

It had happened, Rede as he was affectionately known, had completed his journey on earth the previous day, August 1, 2010, after succumbing to what doctors say is Intracerebral haemorrhage or acute blood pressure (BP).

In utter shock and disbelief most of his colleagues could be heard reliving the last moments they had with the deceased. They, however, heaped praises on him, counting the losses as Rede's shoes were too big to be filled by anyone else.

John Badi, the Chief Photographer with Media Solutions Limited could not hide his disappointment. “ I knew him from the time we were together at Mwananchi Communications in 2005 before we moved to Media Solutions at the same time.”

“He was a good man, mcheshi, cooperative and we worked together harmoniously to produce the newspapers. He never quarreled with anybody, what he did best was his job. He was also a good adviser and consultant who was always willing to give advice and his input in both social and work matters,” he added.

Badi also said that the gap he has left will be very difficult to fill, He vividly remembers the last time he talked to him, soon after finishing producing last week's issue of THISDAY when Redemptus said the weekend was not going to be good as his pockets were empty. And they laughed over it hoping to meet on Monday but that was never to be.

Innocent Shirima, an IT and Database Administrator said: “I have known and worked with him for about five years. He was a very charming person and he was full of jokes.”

“He was a person who listened and had the time to advise you on anything. He spoke his mind and was always frank. He was very keen and sharp to his work. A few days before he died, he came to our office and was talking to almost everyone, telling stories and a lot of jokes as if he was bidding us farewell. We will sadly miss him.” he added.

At the grave yard, the Managing Editor of Media Solutions, Evarist Mwitumba, heaped praises on Redemptus saying he was a hardworking, dedicated and highly skilled worker who did not complain much about his job. He was cheerful, resilient and had the company, especially the newspapers at heart and this could be seen by the products he produced.

The IPP Executive Chairman, Reginald Mengi also addressing the gathering touched on an important aspect humanity seems to be overlooking. He said that in most cases when a person dies, many people cry to God asking Him why, but they don't even bother to thank him for the period they spent with that person.

He said it was time humanity changed the perception of death whereby they would thank God for having been given the opportunity to have that person in their lives. He sighted examples that wives can thank God for having lived with the husband for a certain period and having had children and cherish their successes instead of blaming God for the death.

He went on to promise unconditional support to the family, by completing the house Red was building and to continue taking care of the widow and her child amid applause from mourners.

It really was a painful moment for many, especially when the coffin was being lowered into the grave. The widow could not stomach it as it was beginning to register in her mind that what will be left of her loved one are only imaginations and memories of the good and bad times they spent together.

As the undertakers were mixing concrete and at the same time covering the grave while mourners were singing Ee Bwana Bwana Ee Bwana, Wewe ndiwe mwenye haki . . . . , it was clear that our dear Red had finished his journey on this earth and was beginning another elsewhere.

When the Tegeta Roman Catholic Parish Priest, Richard Tiganya, finally laid the epitaph on the grave, it was like as if he was putting a seal to an era that had prematurely ended. An era many people will live to cherish.

Judging by the scores of people who gathered at the cemetery to bid him farewell, Rede was a man of the people, and as if to show him that he was loved even unto death, people took turns to decorate his grave with flowers. It was even more painful for many people as they watched the deceased's only child accompanying her mother to put flowers on the grave with her future looking bleak after having lost one of the most important people in her life, a father.

When the burial was finally over and mourners dispersing to their respective areas they knew they had given their loved one a befitting send-off. And, though he might be physically dead, his works will live to remind us of a warm and considerate person who completed his journey on this earth while we still needed him. Fare ye well Redemptus, a.k.a Tembe, a.k.a Rede, May your soul rest in eternal peace. Amen!

Ends.

SAPHINA ABRAHAM: Only the sky is the limit

Simbarashe Msasanuri
Dar es Salaam

INVADING a star-studded, talent-filled gospel music industry which boasts of the likes of Rose Muhando, Bahati Bukuku just but to mention a few and leaving an indelible mark is not easy but can only be done by an exceptionally talented and devoted person with an insatiable appetite to conquer.

This rightly applies to Saphina Abraham, a renowned gospel musician whose advent into the industry was not only historic but catapult her to unassailable levels. Those who have had the opportunity to listen to her music will confess that the lady possesses unique talent that can take her to the promised land.

In a field that has been invaded by some unscrupulous artists who hide behind the word to eke a living, the songbird, a born again Christian has only one aim -- to preach the word of God.

“I sing the word of God and I don't sing stories from magazines. I encourage and worship God as well as prophesying through music,” said the soft spoken Saphina in an interview recently.

This is evident in her bible-rich lyrics that have irresistible impact on listeners who are not only left yearning for more but singing a different tune all together. The irresistible forces of the music would have changed them.

Born Saphina Abraham Maluli on May 8, 1983, in Iringa District, the musician has a natural talent that has made it easier for her to invade the music circles and make her presence felt as most of her songs have been rocking Bongoland's music airwaves for a long time now.

In a quest to conquer the world and define her destiny, Saphina enrolled at Ilula Primary School in Iringa where she did her primary education before moving to Tepas Secondary School in Dar es Salaam for her secondary education.

The first born in a family of six children, Saphina like any other born musician started singing at a very tender age. She recalls singing when she was seven years old at church.

“ I was born in a Christian family and I started singing at the age of seven while I was still a member of the Sunday school. Later on I discovered that I had the talent and I developed a zeal to sing and become a successful musician,” says the musician.

Having discovered her talent, Saphina, a member of the Living Faith Church popularly known as Winner's Chapel, joined several musical groups where they sang during events such as parties, church gatherings and so on.

In her road to stardom, the ever smiling musician joined Namusho musical group that was based in Temeke before severing ties to join Dominion Praise Band.

As if that was not enough she has been a member of the Winner's Voices Choir (Winner's Chapel Church Choir) for a long time. Because of her abundant talent, she rose through the ranks to become a praise leader at her church.

“ All these experiences have come in handy for me as after realising that I had enough experience and ammunition, I decided to record my debut album in 2005,” she adds.

According to her, the coming on of her debut marked a turning point as it sent warning messages to the industry that a star was in the making.

The eight track album entitled Acheni Mwenzenu Niseme was an instant hit when it was released and the title track that proved a darling of many music fans is rich in message.

The singer in this song speaks of God's goodness, who raises the poor from the dust. She also praises God for uplifting people and praising Him for His greatness.

Another song that failed to go unnoticed was Amesikia Kilio Changu, in which the musician thanks the Lord for hearing her grievances. The song highlights God's goodness and how He listens to people who seek Him.

“The album was well received though as musicians we always aim higher. I have decided to move on and I have produced my second album that I will be launching soon. I have also completed the production of my DVD album for my debut album and it is already in the market but I am planning to launch it at the same time with my second album,” says Saphina.

The second album, entitled Mungu Utanitembelea – literally translated means God will visit me, is also an eight track album and just like the first one is a scorcher and a must have for gospel music lovers.

In the title track, the musician prays to God for Him to visit her early so that He perfects all things that concern her.

“I was just reminding God of His promises,” she adds.

The other songs penciled to change the landscape of gospel music in the country are Wazidi Wakuitavyo and Nimekukimbilia Bwana, just but to mention two. What is different with Saphina's music is that her songs are not about the bible but she sings the bible.

On the problem of piracy that has crippled our arts industry in this country, Saphina bemoaned the existence of this hideous social anomaly describing it as a threat to the industry.

“I have seen people with my music on their phones, computers and so on who would not have given me anything. This is a disadvantage to us since the people entrusted on safeguarding our rights are doing nothing about it,” says the songbird.

“COSOTA, an organisation formed by the government to protect our rights, they say they are doing something to stop the rot but we haven't seen their efforts or results because music is being pirated everyday. I think government is the only solution. The government has the means to help us and we are waiting upon them to act and help us.”

She also does not have kind words for music distributors who for a longtime have been blamed for exploiting musicians.

“Distributors are riping us off. They can duplicate our music and sell it without our knowledge. At the end of the day we will be working for them. The percentage they give us is not encouraging and is more of enslaving us than a fair deal,” adds Saphina.

She however, pointed out that musicians should unite and fight this social rot. Without unity, she said, the musicians will continue being exploited.

The musician, who is currently studying towards a Diploma in Counseling at Eaglewings College in the city,took time to encourage those up and coming musicians and those who are planning to venture into the field to do so.

“I encourage anyone who wants to venture into music to do so. We are many but everyone is gifted in his or her own way and the market is wide so don't be afraid,” she says.

The musician castigated those who venture into gospel music for money wondering where they get their lyrics if they are not born again Christians.

Beside being talented she is a down to earth person. Her humility has seen her staging many live shows during weddings, parties, church events such as crusades.

“I believe my duty is to preach the word through music and for me to do that, many people request me to sing during their weddings, parties and so on. I have and will always be ready to sing for anyone anywhere because it gives me the opportunity to preach the word.”

It is against this background that she did not only stage shows in most parts of this country but has extensively performed in Kenya. She is also planning to hold shows in DRC and Swaziland later this year.

The musician has paid tribute to her sisters who always accompany her and are her backing vocalists whenever she stages live shows. With the aid of the natural talent she possesses, Saphina is destined for grater heights.

And she rightly says: “To me, only the sky is the limit.”

The musician is also in the process of scoring the first by creating a fan club and those who will like to have a chat with this rare musician can contact her on email – apewesifa@yahoo.com or telephone numbers 0759646425 or 0784971136.


Ends.

Of deception, infertility and miracle babies

Simbarashe Msasanuri
(bongoblast)


A man staying in one of Dar es Salaam's high density suburbs came back from work one day and found his son playing with two boys from next door. In a fit of anger, the man without saying a word rushed to where the boys were and clapped his son.

“I have told you several times not to play with these boys, they are too naughty.” Dragging him by the ear he continued shouting: “From today onwards you are grounded. After coming back from school, you stay indoors. In fact you Lizzy (referring to the house girl), you have to lock him indoors every time you collect him from school,” the man said, oblivious of the crowd that was quickly gathering to witness the free drama.

The boy at this moment was crying uncontrollably at the same time trying to free his ear from the painful grip of his father. The boy drew sympathy from onlookers who were now pleading with the father to forgive the boy.

More stranger than fiction was the reaction by the father of the two naughty boys who were playing with the one being punished. He peeped through the window and shouted that “Wewe zoba naona unaendelea, acha watato wangu washirikiane,” (You stupid man, let my children interact so that they can know each other). Dear reader, I won't tell you what happened next after the man had been told by the man next door that the child he thinks was his wasn't. This I leave to your imagination.

This quickly reminds me of the saying that mama ndiye anayemjua baba wa mtoto. I know that this day and age where deception and the love for money is taking centre stage, many men are taking care of other men's children without any ray of suspicion. Everything will be carefully planned and executed to such an extent that, in most cases, they come to know of it by accident.

Another surprising story from Britain left me even more confused. Two black parents welcomed a new member of their family in style when they discovered that their long awaited daughter was actually white. When I say white, I mean blonde not albino.

The stunned black dad of the new-born, white, baby girl declared last week that — "I’m sure she’s my kid . . . I just don’t know why she’s blonde."

Nmachi Ihegboro has amazed genetics experts who say the little girl is not an albino.

Dad Ben (44), a customer services adviser, admitted: "We both just sat there after the birth staring at her."

Mum Angela (35), of Woolwich, South London, beamed as she said: "She’s beautiful — a miracle baby." Ben told yesterday how he was so shocked when Nmachi was born, he even joked: "Is she mine?’’

He added: "Actually, the first thing I did was look at her and say, ‘What the flip?’" But as the baby’s older brother and sister — both black — crowded round the "little miracle" at their home in South London, Ben declared: "Of course she’s mine."

Blue-eyed blonde Nmachi, whose name means "Beauty of God" in the Nigerian couple’s homeland, has baffled genetics experts because neither Ben nor wife Angela has any mixed-race family history.

Pale genes skipping generations before cropping up again could have explained the baby’s appearance.

Ben also stressed: "My wife is true to me. Even if she hadn’t been, the baby still wouldn’t look like that.

This guy is too confident to say the least. I am not suggesting anything here dear reader, but to be confident of such things is something very difficult to stomach. Though there is something more than meets the eye, I just couldn't keep on imagining what would have happened if that child had been born at our own Muhimbili or any other local hospital. I don't even want to imagine what would have happened if the white girl was to be born in one of the remotest parts of the country.

The first thing that us men, this side of the earth, would have done is to label the woman a prostitute, while at the same time denouncing paternity of the child. Some people would blame it on witchcraft while others will label it an abomination. I really don't know what to call it but as the saying goes, the one who knows the father of the baby is the woman.

With so much deception going on in this world, I would advise the man to go for DNA test first before claiming that he is the father of a white child. If the DNA proves that he is the real father, then we can safely call it the miracle baby.

Just as I have mentioned earlier, we have so many miracle babies in our society, where deception and lies force men to raise other people's children, under the pretext that they are theirs. This, however, turns disastrous once the truth is uncovered.

These babies are so common especially these days where fertility among men in Bongo is said to have dropped to shocking levels. Medical tests are said to be showing that 35 percent of those going for checkups are often diagonised as barren. Doctors are attributing the rise in the rate of infertility in men to certain types of occupations as well as lifestyles in the fast changing and competitive world.

I think the government should make it mandatory for all men to undergo the testing. If that happens, we won't be surprised to find out that some men, who are currently boasting of having a full house, by having many children, including those from nyumba ndogos, are actually barren. What ever the miracle that would occur for them to end up having not only their wives but including small houses pregnant is something that will remain in need of answers.

Society is usually to blame for these miracle babies as soon after a couple weds, they begin counting and looking for signs of pregnancy. This puts a lot of pressure on the couple, especially women, some of whom are forced to look for miracle babies. This will be done to save face.

What most people forget is that, a man and woman get married, not because they want to have children, but because they love each other. Once people marry for the sake of having children or family then that family will not last. I believe that's why people are divorcing as if it's a competition.

Miracle babies are real and in most cases have helped to save shaky marriages. With each and everyone pointing the finger on a woman whenever a couple fails to have a child, most of them are not left without a choice but to look for miracle babies. But with this day and age where HIV is ravaging the society, t becomes dangerous as besides getting a temporary solution to a marriage, miracle baby, one can also bring in another problem, HIV/AIDS.

It is the duty of society to protect and stop discriminating against couples who fail to have children. Failure to do that, then the problem of miracle babies will stay with us for a long time. God bless you!

bongoblast@thisday.co.tz

Of Sepp Blunder, shattered hearts, Hand of the Devil and Vuvuzela legacy

Simbarashe Msasanuri
(Bongoblast)
THE curtain finally came down for the historic FIFA 2010 World Cup held in Africa for the first time, ending the soccer madness that had gripped the world for the better half of the year. Just as expected, the event left a lot of broken and bleeding hearts, while others were left on cloud nine after their team scooped the prestigious silverware.
My heart falls in the group of those who were left shattered after Africa failed to rise to the occasion and make sure that history books are rewritten. It’s official, the Brazilian soccer legend, Pele’s prediction has been proven wrong. If his prediction was within religious circles, then we were going to quickly label him as a false prophet. This is so because he had foreseen an African team lifting the world cup by 2010, something that never materialised.
I believe we had the arsenal to let the cup remain on our soil until we were cheated out of the tournament. When I read a headline on one of the South African newspapers during the tournament, I was left wondering as to why they had chosen to slander the president of the soccer controlling body (FIFA), Joseph Sepp Blatter. The newspaper had a headline, ”Sepp Blunder”. They were referring to the irregularities, questionable decisions by referees and so on which had rocked the soccer tournament in SA. But, the main reason they labeled him Blunder is that, his organization is full of blunders and at the same time is so rigid, or rather to be frank, they are stubborn in the sense that even if they see that there is continuous injustice because of lack of technological intervention, especially the goal line technology, the organization remains adamant, arguing that use of technology will kill the game.
In as far as I am concerned, this is utter rubbish as we have other, not only successful, but prominent sporting disciplines such as cricket, tennis and even rugby where technology is used to determine fouls and scores in desperate times where a naked eye cannot see it. If Blunder’s blundering organization had embraced technology and changed some rules that are disadvantaging other teams, we could have watched a more interesting and different world cup.
Players continue to use their hands to control, score or even defending their goal line and going away with it at the expense of the other teams. I am vending my anger on them because this saw our mighty Ghana being bundled out of the WC. To be frank, Ghana deserved to go through to the semi finals of the competition but because some people are too rigid to change the rules and they are reluctant to use technology, then we continue paying the price.
FIFA should borrow from other sporting disciplines and put in place a rule that if a player other than the goalkeeper uses hands to block a goal-bound ball, then that automatically be counted as a goal and on top of that, awards a penalty to the other team, as a punishment and deterrent measure. This is so because cheats like, Luis Suarez go about bragging on how he now owns the hand of god. This is cheating at its best and should not be allowed to continue as it dilutes the game.
I also came across a story from down south by one of Africa's best sports journalist, Robson Sharuko on the issue. He wrote: “Africa will once again feel the excruciating pain, inflicted by the Hand of the Devil on a heartbreaking night for the continent last Friday, when old wounds are reopened today with the appearance of Uruguay in a World Cup semi-final showdown against the Netherlands at the Greenpoint Stadium in Cape Town.
“ …. Four days might have passed since the dramatic events at Soccer City last Friday night when Uruguay striker Luis Suarez deliberately used his hands to keep out a last-gasp headed effort by Ghana's Dominic Adiayah, earning himself an automatic red card with the Black Stars getting a penalty....... While Suarez would have done very little, in the given circumstances, but to sacrifice himself for the cause of his country, his actions - and subsequent post-match statements in which he glorified his deed - have drawn countless daggers into millions of African hearts and turned him into enemy number one.
Suarez's claims that the handball was the "Hand of God" has infuriated African fans and others around the world who believe that it is a reckless attachment of the good name of the Lord to what they generally believe to be an act of the devil.
"The Hand of God now belongs to me," he declared after the match. "Mine is the real Hand Of God. I made the best save of the tournament. Sometimes in training I play as a goalkeeper so it was worth it.
“...But the Africans are taking a different view. Newspapers across the continent have labeled Suarez a cheat, a disgrace, an insult to the spirit of Fair Play and described his save as The Hand of the Devil.
Sharuko went on to conclude his story by saying: “ Whichever way you look at it, the shadow of the Hand of The Devil will continue to loom over Uruguay.”
Dear reader, I need not to tell you what happened to Uruguay in the semis. They suffered the same humiliation and fate as their fellow cheats, France, who were bundled out of the tournament in the first round.
To tell the truth, I couldn’t continue watching ‘the remaining games of the world cup after that incident because to me, the beautiful game was reduced to a lawless game, where players cheat and get away with it. What a shame. Up to now, I can’t comment on the team that got away with the trophy because it’s news to me. So if you have the information about that, dear reader, please kindly pass it to me and I will appreciate.
To the mighty Ghana, you did us proud as a continent and I am convinced beyond doubt that, the youthful team will definitely be the team to beat, come 2014 WC in Brazil. I am referring to them as mighty because hate them or like them, the truth remains that they fell out of the tournament at the same level with the mighty Brazil and Argentina, who are considered as the world’s top soccer giants. If you ask me then I will tell you that Ghana=Brazil=Agentina.
I take this opportunity to urge FIFA to put its house in order and do away with cheating in soccer matches by embracing technology and put on rules that punish those who cheat. We love the game, but when it hurts to support soccer, then there is a problem. I don’t want even to concentrate on four people who lost their lives in Kenya soon after Ghana were cheated. I still maintain that we were robbed and nothing will make me change that.
At least life is now back to normal for many soccer lovers, who no longer need to run away from work only to watch soccer matches. They no longer need to get fake sick leave forms in order for them to watch the games. No more sleeping late glued on television sets watching football.
There is also another happy section of the society - wives. Some wives had become temporary widows as they could not contest for attention with television sets, as their husbands preferred watching television rather than paying attention to them. It’s over now and they can get all the attention they want, but this comes at a price as the WC left them with yet another disgusting nickname – VUVUZELA. Yes some women are now nicknamed vuvuzelas because they talk too much and this name came from the world cup where plastic instruments, which when blown, produces ear shattering noise, were used to unsettle opponents.
To those soccer lovers I hope you enjoyed the tournament, knowing very well that soccer is just but a game. You either lose or win. To Africa I say, we can do it and our time will one day come. Though it’s back to the drawing board for most teams, the tournament was not only a success but something Africans will cherish for a long time to come.
I apologise dear readers for turning this column into a sports column but I promise that since this soccer madness is over, then everything will be fine. May God bless Africa.
bongoblast@thisday.co.tz