Tanzania
Thursday, March 1st, 2012
Page One: Key stories of the day
President Kikwete critical of the mining industry in Tanzania
President Jakaya Kikwete has called out some mining investors for what he said were their attempts to avoid paying taxes and refusal to abide by commitments to help surrounding communities.
Primary school children drown in deadly floods in Northern Tanzania
Torrential rains in Arusha are being blamed for floods that caused the death of 1o people in Ngorongoro District.
The government encourages civil society organisations to propose names that will make up the constitutional review team
The Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs has sent out a notice to CSOs across the country, urging them to submit names they want included in the soon-to-be-formed constitutional review committee.
Land disputes rise in Tanzania, claims NGO
Haki Ardhi, an NGO based in Dar es Salaam has released a report that argues that ‘powerful’ investors are causing land conflicts in Tanzania.
Notable editorials/opinion pieces:
- ‘Madhara ya mgomo wa madaktari yatangazwe”‘ [The cost of doctors' strike should be put out in the open] | Tanzania Daima
- ‘Kwa nini uraia wa Tanzania unatolewa kama njugu’ [Why is Tanzanian citizenship being doled out like peanuts?] | Mwananchi
- ‘Songea killings: Tanzanians should respect rule of law’ | The Guardian
- ‘Time we stopped leaning so heavily on donors’ | The Citizen
- ‘Reinstating self-reliance policy would address unemployment’ | The African
- ‘Tanzania bado tunao viongozi’ [Tanzania still has leaders] | Rai
Other stories of note:
- ‘Mahalu atoa vielelezo vya Kikwete kortini’ [ Mahalu shows evidence of Kikwete's advice in court] | Mwananchi
- ‘Zitto: Nikiombwa nitagombea urais’ [ Zitto: If I am asked, I'll run for president] | Tanzania Daima
- ‘Mayor refutes claims on UDA accounts’| Daily News
- ‘Vigogo wa CCM wasuka njama’ [Senior figures in CCM plotting] | Rai
- Chadema yamteua Nasari Arumeru [Chadema nominates Nasari in Arumeru] | Tanzania Daima
- ‘Brothel landlords agree to quit business’ | The African
- ‘JK: Mgomo wa madaktari ngoma ilikuwa ‘nzito’ [JK: Doctors' strike was a tough situation] | Majira
- ‘DPP: Sitakurupuka kumpeleka Waziri Sitta mahakamani’ [DPP: I will not rush into asking Minister Sitta to testify in court] | Mwananchi
- ‘Radio stations told to abide by professional ethics’ | The Guardian
- ‘80,000 infants “at risk of HIV”‘ | The Citizen
- ‘Msekwa: Gazeti limeandika uongo’ [Msekwa: [Mtanzania] newspaper wrote lies] | Uhuru
Business Headlines:
- ‘Barclays harass former workers ’ | The African
- ‘Uwekezaji una maslahi gani kwa taifa letu?’ [What benefits are there from foreign investment in our country?] | Mwananchi
- ‘BoT to issue 500/- coins instead of banknotes’ | Daily News
- ‘Jiji lahaha kulipa deni la Mchinga Complex’ [ [Dar] City struggles to pay off debts over the Machinga Complex] | Habari Leo
- ‘Tanzania to open up capital account[s] by 2015′ | Daily News
- ‘Barrick, [Precision Air] raise Dar bourse market capitalisation’ | The Guardian
Regional Headlines:
- ‘Rift emerges over EAC monetary union’ | The African
- ‘Kenya’s annual inflation drops to 16.69 pct in February’ | The Guardian
- ‘Resentment toward the west bolsters Uganda’s new anti-gay bill’ | Daily News
- ‘Kenya’s Nyayo tortures revealead’ | The Citizen
- ‘Waziri Mkuu ajiuzulu Lesotho’ [The Prime Minister resigns in Lesotho] | Mwananchi
- ‘Ndoto ya Umoja wa Fedha EAC yatabiriwa kukamilika’ [The dream of a monetary union in EAC predicted to be realized] | Majira
Page One: A summary
President Kikwete critical of the mining industry in Tanzania
President Jakaya Kikwete took a stern position against foreign mining companies in the country, coming very close to branding them tax evaders. According to The Guardian, the President apparently said, ‘it’s disappointing to see some mining investors want to benefit alone…leaving the government, surrounding communities with nothing.’
Speaking at the launch of the Presidential Award on the Extractive Industry Corporate Social Responsibility and Empowerment (CSRE) programme, Mr. Kikwete told the industry attendees that the lack of apparent benefits to the government and local communities where these foreign companies operate is a source of huge problems for the sector and the country. ‘This triggers endless conflicts and tug of war between investors and residents living around the mining areas,’ he said.
In the President’s mind, it is very easy to fix these issues. ‘If companies pay taxes that are due to the State, rightfully and timely, they will have good relations with the government,’ he said as per The African. The Daily News described the President’s tone as ‘serious’, saying he urged for a creation of better linkages between the industry and other economic activities in the country. One example he gave was on the importation of foreign goods at the mining sites, which he said was unacceptable. Mining companies operating in Tanzania should buy Tanzanian goods for their sites, otherwise it becomes another source of friction between them and local communities. ‘People will ask, what do we get in return? Our gold is taken, companies have tax holidays and exemptions, they don’t even buy our goods or support us economically,’ he said.
The speech and its critical tone, especially, surprised some in the media, particularly the Kiswahili press. ‘JK acharuka’ [JK explodes] declared Mtanzania while Majira went with ‘[JK] acharukia wawekezaji’ [JK explodes on investors]. Even the usually mild Habari Leo interpreted the President’s tone with an excited headline saying, ‘JK atetea waishio kuzunguka migodi’ [JK defends residents near mines], suggesting along the way that the President appropriated the kind of rhetoric usually associated with activists critical of the sector.
Primary school children drown in deadly floods in Northern Tanzania
The Daily News is reporting that ten pupils from Piyaya Primary School in Ngorongoro District died yesterday after being ‘swept by raging flood waters while attempting to cross Losukutane River.’ According to the paper, the pupils were on their way home from school and found themselves the victim of torrential rains that hit the area hard since Monday afternoon which caused the swelling of the river. Apparently, there is no bridge connecting the two different points between the river and usually residents in the area use stepping stone to cross to the other side.
Meanwhile, The Guardian, which also reported on the tragedy, said that the police working with ‘wananchi’ managed to recover five bodies with the rest still missing. The Ngorongoro District Commissioner Mr. Elias Lali Wawa told the paper that the rains have proved devastating with the cost to the communities still to be fully realized. ‘As we are talking now, officials from the District Council are assessing the actual damage,’ he said.
The government encourages civil society organisations to propose names that will make up the constitutional review team
The Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs released a statement yesterday imploring civil society organisations to put forth names they deem worthy to be part of the team that will work on the up coming review of the constitution, reports The Guardian.
According to Habari Leo, the statement said that ‘any political party with permanent registration, religious organisations, CSOs, and any group of people with shared values are welcomed to submit a maximum list of three names.’ Apparently, the Ministry asked that the recommendations be sent directly to the President’s office. The deadline has been set to March 16th.
The announcement marks weeks of political wrangling on the issue with different stakeholders contributing to what The Guardian called a fierce debate. President Kikwete initiated the process by announcing the desire to form such a review team. He met with leaders from various political parties before presenting a bill to parliament for approval. The Constitutional Review Amendment Bill was passed by parliament in the recently concluded National Assembly gathering in January, setting the stage for the coming review process.
Land disputes rise in Tanzania, claims NGO
The land rights NGO HakiArdhi has released findings that claim that ‘on average, there are five land disputes daily in the country and three involve powerful investors,’ the organisation’s Executive Director Yefred Myenzi told reporters according to The Citizen.
Mr. Myenzi’s report claims, the paper reports, that the rise in land disputes is the result of an increase in land use without a corresponding increase in land use plans. Furthermore, he claims, outdated land laws and the slow pace of issuing land titles are also to blame for disputes. Additionally, Mr. Myenzi rejects the notion that there is huge, unused arable land in the country. ‘We do not have enough land resources for every Tanzanian. In fact, only a few own huge land resources. What is happening now is that the well-to-do from within and outside the country are in a land grabbing race,’ he said.
The research by HakiArdhi is reportedly based in large part on media coverage of the issue. Therefore, its not entirely clear how objective the conclusions are. But then again, this tracker is based on media reports, so who are we to pass judgement.
(In the interests of full disclosure, Serengeti Advisers is a shareholder in Agrisol Energy Tanzania, which in the past has been a subject of HakiArdhi’s research)