A Tanzanian from Moshi, Angela Nkya, fifth-year architecture student at Iowa State University in US, has won the $3,000 annual Berkeley Undergraduate Prize for Architectural Design Excellence.
The Sunday Observer (August 1) quoted Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, Pius Ng’wandu, as saying that using the giant pouched rat to detect smell, vapours or explosives used in anti-personnel landmines, could complement existing methods in this important field if well developed. “Apparently, during civil unrest the best lands become also the best sites used by minelayers to deter the adversary” he said. A Belgian de-mining organisation, the University of Antwerp, together with the Sokoine University, signed a memorandum of collaboration in 2001 to undertake research on the possibility of using the rat to detect by smell vapours of explosives used in anti-personnel landmines.

The Guardian reported on June 16 that computer software giant Microsoft will release at the end of this year a computer operating system in Kiswahili.
Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda have obtained international registration and a patent for Lake Victoria’s Nile Perch to establish themselves as sole exporters of this type of fish to Europe. The move is aimed at protecting the perch, popularly known in Tanzania as Sangara, against potential threats in its main export market. There were threats from exporters of similar kinds of fish from Asia – Guardian.

Mtanzania has reported that Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Abdulkadir Shareef said on August 5th that Tanzania was to send 100 troops to Sudan as part of the African peace keeping force.

The Dar es Salaam Financial Times reported on March 2 that the three East African Heads of State had finally signed in Arusha the 40-page protocol establishing the ‘East African Community Customs Union’ amidst a series of unresolved issues. The signing had taken four years of negotiations and finally had to be considerably watered down to accommodate deep-seated differences between the member states. One of the critical issues is what tax to charge on goods from outside the EAC, known as the ‘Common External Tariff’ (CET). Uganda has unilaterally decided to apply a 20% rate for finished goods, while Kenya and Tanzania have stuck to the more protectionist 25%. Uganda and Tanzania have been allowed to place a surcharge on specified lists of products from Kenya due to the latter’s generally more advanced industrial base.

The UN publication IRIN has reported on a recent study on refugees in western Tanzania.
Extracts: In its findings, the ‘Centre for the Study of Forced Migration’ at the University of Dar es Salaam said that, although assertions as to the impact of the refugees on the environment, security, infrastructure, administration and development were partially true, many were exaggerated and outdated. On the other hand, the Centre said that international aid for security, local governance and administration was inadequate and should be increased to help the country contain the burden of hosting the refugees.
At a subsequent meeting on the report Mark Waite, the country representative of Oxfam-UK said: “Because of the divergence of views and the difficulty for the media to report in western Tanzania, there is a need to hold discussions and establish a degree of objectivity on the matter”. The most senior government representative at the meeting, Kigoma Regional Commissioner Elmon Mahawa, described the Centre’s report as ‘very fair’, saying that it was everyone’s responsibility to reduce the negative impact of the refugee presence.
The Centre found that internal peace and security in Kigoma and Kagera regions, where the refugees lived, had been ‘devastated’ by crimes, but this could not, it said, be ‘mainly attributed to refugees’. Statistics on the numbers of people in prisons in the two regions suggested that, as percentages, the number of refugees and Tanzanians involved were very similar.
Concern about environmental degradation, which has often been cited as the most obvious negative impact of the refugee influx, was justifiable, the Centre said. However, most of the ‘dramatic stories’ in this context (in Ngara District, Kagera Region, for example, 47,000 ha of forest reserves had been felled for firewood and construction) related to the period between 1993 and 1996 when ‘the influx was large and the levels of awareness very low.’ Similarly, in terms of damage to infrastructure, health services and education, the Centre said that the initial burden on these services had been occasioned by the massive influx of refugees, primarily in 1994. It went on to say, however, that after the setting up of humanitarian operations, roads were built and maintained, education levels rose in Tanzanian schools, and health services improved. For example, in Ngara District, 26% of the population lived more than 5 kms from a health centre, as opposed to the national average of 30% percent. Maternal mortality in Ngara stood at 114 per 100,000 live births, while the national average was over 200. The benefits of the presence of refugees to the health sector far outweighed its negative impact.
In economic terms, the Centre said the lack of internal security may have contributed to the lack of productivity in agriculture. But, the arrival of humanitarian agencies had also led to an upsurge in business due to increased disposable income and the UN World Food Programme’s local purchases serving to support producers and suppliers. Also, the presence of refugees provided Tanzanian farmers with cheap – albeit illegal – labour, thereby expanding agricultural capacity in the area.
Moreover, central and local tax collections had increased significantly, with income tax in Kigoma Region from humanitarian agencies amounting to Shs 620 million ($620,000) annually.
‘So critical is the contribution of humanitarian agencies that whenever they scale down [their] presence, an immediate and dramatic drop in revenue is experienced by [the] Tanzania Revenue Authority.’
Although the Centre said that much of the anecdotal accounts about the impact of the refugees on the already overstretched judiciary might be exaggerated, it was very critical of the lack of support extended to the Tanzanian authorities for local governance and administration. Regional and district officials complain about the amount of time they have to devote to refugee work when they should be working on their own national responsibilities. And, despite the $1 million annual funding from the Office Of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees for the policing of the refugee camps, the aid to Tanzania to cope with the insecurity in areas in which there are refugees is described by the report as ‘woefully inadequate’.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has asked President Mkapa to serve as one of the 15 commissioners in the recently established ‘UK Commission for Africa.’ The Commission seeks to analyse prospects for Africa’s development and make policy recommendations aimed at generating increased international support for the ‘G8 Africa Action Plan’ and the ‘New Partnership for Africa Development’ (NEPAD). President Mkapa applauded the British PM’s efforts in giving priority to Africa’s issues and expressed his readiness to support the project – Sunday Observer.
Tanzania’s renowned diplomat, Ambassador Gertrude Mongella, has been elected President of the Pan-African Parliament. Reports from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where the 53-member African Union (AU) launched its Assembly on March 18, indicated that Ambassador Mongella was unopposed after other contestants for the post withdrew their names following the reading by a representative from Nigeria of Ambassador Mongella’s impressive profile. The AU wants the Pan-African assembly, modeled on the European Union parliament, to give Africans a bigger voice in how they are governed – Guardian.
University of Dar es Salaam Professor Issa Shivji has created some controversy by publishing ‘Reflections on (local) NGO’s in Tanzania’. He said that they tended to focus more on enriching themselves from donor funds but had failed in their principal objective of helping the people. “NGO’s are top-down organisations led by a few elite and only urban based” he said. “Most NGO wallahs do not have any grand vision of society – Daily Times

Only 8.4% (2,905 out of 34,740) of the pupils who sat for the standard seven examinations in Dar es Salaam region last year were selected to join government secondary schools.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Omar Mahita has stopped importation of AK 47 rifles ordered by the Kahama Mining Company Limited (KMCL) for use by Nepalese Gurkhas who are in the country specifically to offer protection to KMCL employees and property. Company spokesman Deo Mwanyika said that, in his refusal, IGP Mahita had said that AK 47’s were used by the military only. He said the Gurkhas were given two-month business visas on arrival but had since been given work permits – Rai.
Zanzibar’s House of Representatives has passed a Bill that outlaws homosexuality and lesbianism and imposes stiff penalties, which include up to 25 years imprisonment, for those in gay relationships. The Attorney-General said they were determined to prevent Zanzibari culture from being corrupted – Guardian.
The restructured Muhimbili National Hospital under its new management (see above) has come under fire for imposing new rates of Tshs. 10,000 for outpatients, Tshs. 20,000 for inpatients and Tshs. 50,000 for surgical cases. The Government said the new rates and regulations would minimize the chances of corruption.

On January 30 the Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF) destroyed a total of 4,338 anti-personnel mines (APMs) at the Monduli Military Training Camp in Arusha Region in accordance with the 1997 Ottawa Convention.

UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, has appointed the former Tanzania Ambassador to the UN, Daudi Mwakawago, to represent the UN in Sierra Leone.

Majira reported on April 17 that Police in Dar Es Salaam had seized military weapons including eight light machine guns, eight sub-machine guns and magazines. The consignment arrived in Dar three years ago and was stored at shed nos. 7 and 8. Apparently, good-hearted thieves broke into the sheds with intent to steal valuables only to find the weapons there. They then reported the matter to Temeke police without revealing their names!

Mwananchi has reported that the Government has put in place strategies to fight hunger now facing half of the country. State Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy Development) William Lukuvi, said the Government had rushed 7,215 tons of food aid to 16-mainland districts worst hit by hunger. He said transportation money had also been provided so that the food aid could be transported from warehouses in the south of the country to hunger stricken districts. The long drought and floods in recent years plus the effects of the Aids pandemic have reduced food production in Tanzania, including maize, the staple food. The worst affected regions are the centre and north. The World Food Programme is planning to provide 45,000 tons of food aid over the six-month period starting in December. The United States has agreed to provide 15,000 Tones of maize. Minister for Water and Livestock Development, Edward Lowasa, has told the 32nd Session of the FAO Conference in Rome in December that Tanzania is facing a slow-down in economic growth prompted by two consecutive years of rain deficiency. “We are keeping our fingers crossed that seasonal rains will be normal, otherwise we will have a second year of food deficits which will exert pressure on the government budget and lead to a slow-down in economic growth.”

The Sunday New (12th October) featured the considerable progress being made on the implementation of the re-introduced Universal Primary Education (UPE) Programme. Extracts: ‘Tanzania has been pumping money into education for the past three years in accordance with its Poverty Reduction Strategy paper. Recurrent education spending has risen from a $159 million in 1999/2000 to $693 million in 2003/2004. These funds have enabled the Government to build 20,000 classrooms and employ 10,000 teachers during the last two years. Pupils also have more desks and textbooks in their classrooms than ever before…. When school fees were abolished two years ago enrolment figures quickly doubled. Gross enrolment has increased to 100 per cent from 70 per cent in 2000…….. But some experts are questioning this success story saying that little progress has been made in the Standards Seven exam pass rate and hence the numbers moving from primary to secondary education. Even though education spending as a percentage of GDP had risen from 3.1 per cent in 1999 to 5.1 per cent in 2003 it was still well low compared to countries such as Kenya (6.5 per cent), South Africa (8 per cent) and Botswana (10 per cent).

The Zanzibar Leopard, Panthera pardus adersi, is an elusive and possibly extinct subspecies endemic to Unguja Island. Visitors to the Zanzibar Museum may be familiar with the stuffed and rather faded specimen kept in a display case there. There are only a handful of other skins in museum collections and this small leopard with tightly-packed rosettes has never been studied in the wild. The last time a researcher claimed to have seen one was in the early 1980s.

Many rural Zanzibaris believe that leopards are often kept by witches and sent by them to harm or frighten their fellow villagers. This belief comes together with an elaborate package of ideas about how leopards are bred, trained, exchanged and sent to do the evil bidding of their owners. For local farmers this supplies a neat explanation for predation by leopards on livestock and humans, and more generally for their appearance “out of place” in the vicinity of farms and villages (Goldman and Walsh 1997).

During the colonial period, when leopards began to kill increasing numbers of domestic animals and even small children, people responded in kind. Matters came to a head after the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution when a witch-finder called Kitanzi led a national campaign to rid the island of its leopards and curb the activities of their alleged keepers. The eventual outcome of this campaign and the subsequent classification of leopards as “vermin” was to bring them to the brink of extinction (Walsh and Goldman 2003).

When we began our joint research on the Zanzibar Leopard in the mid-1990s there were probably still a few of these beautiful felines left (Goldman and Walsh in press). Now we can’t be sure. Whereas most zoologists think that the Zanzibar Leopard is extinct, many rural people think otherwise. Claims of sightings abound, as do reports of other evidence for leopards’ continued presence and their nefarious use by witches. Many of these reports are impossible to verify independently. None of the cases that we have investigated in the past two years has produced confirmation of a sighting or other leopard signs.

The recent discovery of the Zanzibar Servaline Genet, Genetta servalina archeri, suggests that perhaps Unguja has yet to give up all of its zoological secrets. This small carnivore, another island endemic, was first described from an old skin and skull obtained in 1995. Its status was uncertain until a number of individuals were photo-trapped in January 2003 (Goldman and Winther­Hansen 2003). If the Zanzibar Leopard survives, then similar standards of proof will have to be applied for any record to be acceptable to the scientific community. Otherwise most of us will get no closer to it than that faded museum specimen and those colourful cryptozoological narratives.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
We are continuing research and writing on the case of the Zanzibar Leopard and the many issues that it raises. We would very much like to hear from anyone who has any information about the island leopard and/or its products. We are especially interested in historical records from different periods, both before and after the Revolution, and including recollections of leopard hunting on Unguja and the fate of leopard skins. Correspondence should be addressed to us at 8 Church Lane, Cambridge, CB2 2LA, or bye-mail tokisutu@hotmail.com. Any assistance will be gratefully acknowledged.

References
Goldman, H. V. and Walsh, M. T. (1997) A Leopard in Jeopardy: An Anthropological Survey of Practices and Beliefs Which Threaten the Survival of the Zanzibar Leopard (panthera pardus adersi), Forestry Technical Paper No. 63, Jozani-Chwaka Bay Conservation Project, Commission for Natural Resources, Zanzibar. [A pdf version can be obtained from the authors on request]

Goldman, H. V. and Walsh, M. T. (in press) ‘Is the Zanzibar Leopard (Panthera pardus adersi) Extinct?’, Journal of East African Natural History, 91 (112).
Goldman, H. V. and Winther-Hansen, 1. (2003) ‘First Photographs of the Zanzibar Servaline Genet, Genetta servalina archeri, and Other Endemic Subspecies on the Island of Unguja, Tanzania’, Small Carnivore Conservation, 29: 1-4.

Walsh, M. T. and Goldman, H. V. (2003) ‘Killing the King: Political Imperatives and the Extermination of the Zanzibar Leopard‘, paper presented to the International Symposium on Le Symbolisme des animaux: l’animal “clef de voute” dans la tradition orale et les interactions homme-nature, Villejuif, Paris, 12-14 November.
Martin Walsh and Helle Goldman

Among recent crimes committed in Tanzania are the following:

The London Times reported on 27th November that British business man Antony Griplas, who ran ‘Adventure Afloat’ (which offered tourists outings on traditional dhows) had been shot twice in the abdomen when a gang of 10 raiders burst into his beach house at Chukwani, a small community on the west coast of Unguja, Zanzibar’s main island. The pirates used a boat to approach the house where the family was asleep after spending the day dolphin watching. Mrs Griplas gave them the contents of the safe and pleaded with them to take anything that they wanted from the house but they shot Mr Griplas with a pistol.

15 bandits recently overran the Mombo Police station in Korogwe district, shot and wounded the Officer Commanding the Station, the proprietor of a nearby filling station and his son -Nipashe

The Daily News reported that five armed bandits raided the Buhemba gold mine in Musoma on 11 th October and abducted three white South African employees after their attempt to break into the mine’s strong room failed. When the police gave chase to the two vehicles that they had also hijacked, the thugs beat up the white men injuring one on the right leg with a machete. There was then an extraordinary but sad sequel. Majira reported that three Musoma police officers and two suspected criminals had died in a car accident on December 6 in Tarime district. The Mara Regional Police Commander said the officers were taking the criminals to Tarime’s border town of Sirari where they said their heavily armed colleagues were hiding. The driver of the police vehicle, himself a police officer, escaped unhurt but was then said to have ‘lost his mind’ at the police station and shot himself dead. The suspected bandits are alleged to have taken part in the incident at Buhemba Mine.

A secondary school student, Steven Mwinyijuma who is facing terrorism charges in a Kisutu Court, was sponsored by a Palestinian citizen to do investigations in the country on how US citizens conducted their lives. According to allegations in a preliminary inquiry, conducted before the case is committed to the High Court, Mwinyijuma was being sponsored by Mohamed Haji. It was alleged in court that the accused got terrorist training at Nacostec College and had performed surveillance operations on Western targets in Kenya, Djibouti, Mozambique and Tanzania. Mwinyijuma was found with a map showing the security set up at the US embassy in Dar es Salaam and a book containing telephone numbers of many leaders including President Mkapa and Foreign Minister Jakaya Kikwete -Majira.

IRIN reported on September 1 that President Mkapa had repeated his earlier accusations that refugees were to blame for the increase in small arms in the country and said the problem could be solved by creating safe havens for civilian refugees within their own countries. The President said that, although the problem of guns had not yet reached ‘crisis level’, refugees were to blame for an increase in armed crime and trafficking of weapons in western Tanzania. In his speech, before destroying over 1,000 small arms in the Dar es Salaam, the President said that he was pushing for the international community to adopt a system of creation of safe havens in conflict-torn countries, with a view to preventing internal strife from spilling into neighbouring countries, who must then bear the burden of refugee influxes.

Jayantilal (Andy) Keshavji Chande has been invested by Queen Elizabeth II into the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire as an Honorary Knight Commander. The Order dates back to 1917, having been created by King George V. It recognises outstanding contributions to society. Mr Chande has been closely associated with a large number of educational, social welfare and charitable institutions in Tanzania and has also contributed greatly to UK-Tanzanian bilateral relations. Amongst his many activities over many years, Mr Chande has been a member of the Executive and Legislative Councils, a leading light in the Tanzania Red Cross, World President of The Round Table, Vice-President of The Britain-Tanzania Society and the Representative of The Royal Commonwealth Society in Tanzania.

A fish of the famous species coelocanth, which appeared to vanish 65 million years ago, was caught by fishermen in Kilwa in mid-September. The Chairman of the National Committee which is researching the fish, Professor Phillip Bwathondi, said that the coelacanth was found only by chance as it was being dried ready for sale. It weighed 40 kilograms and was 1.32 metres long. It was transferred to the marine park in Dar es Salaam.

The Government has set aside Tshs 54 million to be used in seeking a national dress for Tanzania. Education Minister Joseph Mungai told journalists at the Maelezo auditorium in the city that dress designers would be called upon to enter the fray by presenting samples of dresses they had made or were designing for consideration as a national dress. He called on interested designers to register themselves with the Regional Administrative Secretaries (RAS) in their respective regions so that their names could be included in the race for a national dress. He said the designers would then be required to present their samples to the RAS’s who would present them to the National Coordinator of National Dress -Mwananchi.

At the August 25 -30 Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit meeting in Dar es Salaam in September, which was attended by some 25 heads of state, President Mkapa was given a standing ovation when he called for an end to the sanctions against President Mugabe by the European Union and the US. President Mkapa said “It has not worked, it will not work, and it only makes the life of the ordinary people in Zimbabwe unnecessarily difficult.” The SADC summit also supported the call to reinstate Zimbabwe as a member of the Commonwealth from which it was suspended when the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union began implementing its land distribution policy in 2000.

President Mkapa was out of action in hospital in Switzerland in November and December. As this issue of Tanzanian Affairs went to the printers he was said to be recuperating following a hip operation.

There was a demonstration in Dar es Salaam on 10th October against the death penalty. Chairman of Amnesty Internationa1’s Tanzania Chapter Israel Magesa told the demonstrators that President Mkapa had never assented to any execution since he came to power in 1995. However, some 100 criminals sentenced to death by the courts over these years were still waiting in jails wondering what their fate would be -Guardian.

Tanzania collected 14 medals as seven of its companies gained prizes at agricultural exhibitions held in Rostock, Germany from April to October last year. Premier Frederick Sumaye urged Tanzanians to change their attitude and invest more in non-traditional agricultural products which now had a bigger market than the traditional ones. He made the call when he presented prizes to the winners. He said that during this interim period when markets for traditional products like coffee, cotton, tobacco and others have declined, it was important that “we make changes in our agricultural production and start producing crops which will be accepted and are competitive in international markets.” He named the products that could be cultivated as flowers, spices and vegetables.