How inaccurate measuring instruments poses doubts to customers

Buyers of different products measured in kilograms have expressed a grave concern over the long running weights of products which they purchase from retail shops saying that, is less in comparison with the quantity required.  A random survey carried by this paper in Dar es Salaam’s city localities has discovered that, there are some shopkeepers who are notorious of scaling cheats and swindling thus using rigged weighing scales which have been tampered to cheat their potential customers. Speaking in an exclusive interview with this paper early this week in Dar es Salaam, some dismayed potential buyers have expressed their disappointment over the matter, saying that are receiving a kilogram of a product they purchase that is not complete which looks like a three quarter kilo. Confirming to this writer, a desperate customer Hamisi Habibu, a resident of Kipunguni ‘B’ in Gongo La Mboto area within Ilala municipal council said that, one day he bought a kilogram of meat at a local butcher near his home and found it more lighter than what he expected. He further noted that, he took the sample of the already measured meat to another measuring scale used by one shopkeeper and found it had fallen short of weight. Likewise, a business woman who identified himself by one name Asha said that, she used to buy 5 kilograms of home baking flour from which she used to prepare 50 pieces of the so-called ‘Chapati’ for her Mama Lishe business entity, but gradually she discovered there is a constant decrease on the weight and is now producing 42 pieces of chapati.

 During the interview, most buyers have strongly pointed an accusing finger to unscrupulous traders and other shopkeepers for being untrustworthy and called for the immediate assistance from the authorities concerned. Contacted for comments early this week in Dar es Salaam, WMA’s Public Relations Officer Rehema Rashid said that, her agency continues to do regular checkups to identify illegal traders who have been cheating their customer although there are some claims and irregularities raised by potential buyers. Elaborating about the exercise she said that, “during the first quarter of the 2014/15 financial year about 160 traders have been arrested and fined in different parts of Dar es Salaam city suburbs after having been found guilty in connection with violation of the use of weights and measures. She said adding that, their arrest is in accordance to section 46 (1) of Weights and Measures Act of 2002 that aimed to protect consumers in fair and just trade from exploitation. Hardly three months ago, the Agency’s Chief Executive Officer, Magdalena Chuwa was quoted by the media and admitted that, the agency has been facing a serious shortage of staff to move countrywide on timely basis to supervise measuring scale instruments. In view of this, she asked the consumers must help double check the accuracy of scales and other measuring gadgets when purchasing products at different stores and business centres. Speaking in a telephone interview early this week, a trade expert from the Ministry of Trade and Industry who preferred anonymity said that, “accurate measures and weights also simplify trade and encourage investment as people prefer to invest in an up-to standard economy.” According to him, it is an obligation that, fairness in trade should be treated as it is the major concept under which investors in trade could feel more secure within their business transactions which in today’s global economy is competitive. The WMA is an agency working under the umbrella of the ministry of Trade and Industry which is charged with consumer protection through ensuring measuring systems result in fair trade transactions. The agency is mandated to provide protection to consumers in relation to legal metrological control which includes legal control of measuring instruments.

Tarime police warns village leaders against property confiscation

POLICE in Tarime district has issued a strong warning to village leaders in the district not to take law in their hands by confiscating their people’s properties in place of the contribution required of them to pay for the construction of secondary schools ward laboratories. The police warning has come in the wake of reports that, some untrustworthy village leaders in some villages like Gamasara village in Nyandoto ward who have ordered a family that fails to pay the amount of Sh. 20,000 required of them by end of this week, would have their properties confiscated. Tarime Special Zone Police Commander, ACP Lazaro Mambosasa issued a warning when he spoke in a telephone interview yesterday and called on whoever would be affected to immediately report the matter top his office for further legal actions. “I am warning village leaders who would dare to confiscate people’s properties in place of their people’s contribution would face legal action”, he said. The commander of a special zone to confirm the legality of having people’s properties snatched for those who fails to contribute whenever a communal development project is to be undertaken in some villages in Tarime district and which normally is insisted by village elders according to traditional custom. Two weeks ago, this paper reported villagers of Gamasara village located at Nyandoto ward in Tarime district, Mara region are at risk of having their properties confiscated after some of them proved to be unable to raise such amount of money required of them in order to construct a secondary laboratory facility in their ward.  Confirming the incident to the Guardian, the chairman of the Nyasebe hamlet in the village Deus Ngera said that, village leaders had received directives from the council authorities in the district which required villagers to contribute to the construction of such a laboratory facility. He further narrated that, the amount of money to be contributed by each family was among the deliberations which were proposed and agreed unanimously in their meetings. He further disclosed that,  the meeting had also passed a resolution as a warning to the family that failed to accomplish the task without concrete reasons will have their properties snatched and sold, but couldn’t specify what type of the property when asked in a telephone interview. Commenting on the issue, the Director of Tarime Town Council (TTC), Venance Mwamengo said in a telephone interview this week and affirmed that, each ward in his jurisdiction has been asked to arrange on how their people could contribute to this important development project currently being spearheaded by the President. He said construction of secondary school laboratories is an historic event that every individual must participate at all cost wherever is required. The move is part of the implementation of President Jakaya Kikwete’s order who has requested directors of all district councils in the country to ensure that, ward secondary schools in their areas are equipped with modern State-of-the-art laboratory facilities for students by end of this year”, he said. However, he said that his council will contribute 90 percent of the total cost to be incurred for the laboratory construction in each ward and the rest to be accomplished by villagers in areas where such laboratories are to be built. Meanwhile, the media reported early this week another warning issued by senior officials in Tarime district against anyone who will be found opposing the construction of laboratories, will face legal stern measures. It was earlier rumored that, “some members of the opposition political parties in the district were against President’s order. Meanwhile, in the wake of growing disputes, the government has directed councils in the country to seek consent of public workers before they deduct their salaries to fund the Presidential ordered construction of laboratories in public secondary schools before the end of this month. The Deputy Minister for Regional Administration and Local Government Kassim Majaliwa made a concern last week in Bukoba during a fundraising event for the construction of laboratories for secondary schools in Bukoba He said workers should first be educated on the need to contribute towards construction of laboratories and allowed to contribute voluntarily. He said and emphasized that the government is not forcing public servants to contribute towards the construction of laboratories.

UDSM graduates asked to have self confidence

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) Professor Rwekaza Mukandala has cautioned the newly grandaunts of the university to use their knowledge which they have acquired in order to lead better life for their future. Professor Mukandala gave a concern last week in Dar es Salaam during the 44^th graduation ceremony for the university whereby a total of 953 grandaunts attained their certificate degrees for Masters, Postgraduate and PhDs. This is the first batch of the grandaunts which also included certificate degrees takers from te Engineering College and Technology, and the certificate degree takers from Natuural Science College and the College of Information and Communication Technology. 

A cross section of the UDSM graduands listening to the University Chancellor Professor Mukandala

The second graduation ceremony will be held next week on 15^th and will involve the second batch of the first degree takers from all school and collages affiliated with the UDSM including the Institute of Journalism and Mass Communication. Addressing the grandaunts, Prof, Mukandala stressed the need of having self confidence an element which he said is the only pillar that would enable them to acquire basic necessities at this time when employment has become a great challenge not only in Tanzania but also at a global level. He said that, lack of employment for the youth in the country for females is estimated to have the gap of 14.3 percent while for males covers approximately 12.3 in urban centres in the country. However, he noted that, in urban centrers is where the situation is seen to be worse compared to rural areas whereby lack of employment is estimated to be less than 7.1 percent of the opportunities available. He said, the university education prepares a person to become an entrepreneur and in view of this, grandaunts should have a creative mind which would enable them open the opportunity to learn and acquire knowledge for their development.

Government refutes allegations by UK based intelligence agency

The government yesterday refuted reports on allegations raised by the UK based Environmental Intelligence Agency (EIA) which it claimed that Chinese officials transacted an illegal ivory trade during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping in the country in March 2013. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Benard Membe made it clear and told the National Assembly that, “the alleged report is not true and that, the perpetrators of such reports are envious to Tanzanian government which has built a firm diplomatic relations with China” Minister Membe clarified the matter when responding to a question raised by Dr. Hamisi Kingwangala (CCM) a Member of Parliament for Nzega constituency, who wanted to know the government’s stand over the allegations which has brought bad image to Tanzania. Clarifying over the matter to law makers, Minister Membe noted that the report is baseless with intent to disrupt the good image of the long standing relationship of the two countries which has been maintained over 50 years now since independence time. He said ivory trade is engaged with different businessmen from Africa continent with their counterparts in Asian and European countries, and that the recent impounded ivory tusks in containers at Dar es Salaam port has never been proved to have originated in Tanzania. Minister Member further noted that, the two countries actively participated in a recent International Wildlife Conference which among other things it had signed an accord to stop ivory trade as stipulated in United Nations conventions. However, Minister Membe noted that, Tanzania will continue its bilateral relations with Chinese government in every sphere of economic development, bearing the fact that, China has been helping Tanzania in its economy in areas of railways construction and other economic infrastructure on cheap loan basis. The latest report of EIA issued mid this week claimed that, members of Chinese government and business delegation that accompanied Chinese President in the country bought so much ivory that local prices doubled to $ 700 (Sh. 1.1 million) per kilogramme. The UK based agency firm cited in its report that ivory traders in the city of Dar es Salaam that were involved in this illegal business transaction.  

Foreign Affairs Minister Benard Membe

The EIA report cited a trader in Tanzania's main port city, Dar es Salaam, named as Suleiman Mochiwa, who met undercover investigators.  According to the report, the delegation team used the opportunity to procure such a large amount of ivory that local prices increased, a factor that, the Chinese government has denied the report dismissing it as baseless. Conservationists say demand for ivory in China is fuelling poaching in African major game reserve and in recent years, poaching has increased across sub-Saharan Africa, with criminal gangs slaughtering elephants for ivory. Tanzania is the largest source of poached ivory in the world, according to the EIA. 'Security checks averted' investigators alleged that the Chinese buyers could take advantage of a lack of security checks for those in the country on a diplomatic visit.  "The two traders claimed that a fortnight before the state visit, Chinese buyers began purchasing thousands of kilos of ivory, later sent to China in diplomatic bags on the presidential plane," the report added. The illegal ivory trade is flourishing in China, where many prize ivory carvings as valuable status symbols. The country's state media publicises the arrests of smugglers and, earlier this year, the first televised destruction of confiscated ivory. Complicating the issue is that China allows limited sales of legal ivory. Conservationists, both inside China and outside its borders, argue that the government needs to ban sales completely in order to stop the trade in its tracks. "The report is groundless, and we express our strong dissatisfaction," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei is quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency. The ivory trade was banned in 1989 by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites). Both China and Tanzania are signatories. Earlier this year China for the first time destroyed a large quantity of confiscated ivory, in a public event described by conservation groups as a landmark move.

PM inspects food reserves in Dodoma

Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda on Thursday this week inspected food reserves which are located at Kizota area on the outskirts of Dodoma town as part of his implementation of a promise he issued two weeks ago that, the government is intending to construct large food reserves in six regions. A statement issued by Prime Minister’s Office yesterday in Dar es Salaam said that, the construction of food reserves in these regions would be facilitated by help of a loan to be given by the government of Poland through their investor effectively starting as from January next year. Speaking with regional leaders and officials from National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) who accompanied him in his tour, the PM said that, the government is intending to construct big food reserves known as SILOS each one would accommodate 100,000 tones of cereals. “Once we get larger food reserves enough to accommodate 100,000 tones of cereals, we are sure of taking food reserve from the neighbouring regions of Singida, Tabora and Manyara”, the Premier said. The statement noted that, in his tour, the PM was accompanied by Witold Karczewski , a Poland national who owns a large industry which packs cereal foodstuffs which Premier Pinda visited when he toured the country in October 24 this year. The investor Karczewski also owns the industry which manufactures raw materials used for the construction of SILOS. Delivering a report to the Prime Minister, the Central Zone Director for NFRA Ruwaichi Mambali said that, the Kizota centre is equipped with food reserves which are able to accommodate 30,000 tones in three food reserves which each one accommodates 10,000 tones of cereals. On his part, an investor from Poland Karczewski wanted to know the infrastructure which is there at6 Kizota including the distance how is it linked with railways or road, he also was eager to know the vastness of the area in terms of kilometers. He however stressed that, if he could get the site map on time, he would send his experts next year to look at the possibility of starting the construction work earlier enough once they accomplish with contractual agreements with him. 

Tanzania's Prime Minmister Mizengo Pinda

Two weeks ago, on his arrival in the country, the Prime Minister made it clear in a press conference that, he had gone to Poland to seek for a strategic investor and a kind of a loan system that would guarantee favourable conditions for repayments to enable the construction of food reserves on which to keep cereals in the country. He said the government has targeted six regions for the start which includes Ruvuma, Njombe and Iringa where there is abundant production of maize crops. Other places the premier noted is along the lake zones in regions which are faced with food scarcity. He further clarified that, the government is strategizing the construction of food reserves in Dodoma region being the centre of the country to serve as a strategic point for other regions surrounding it. “The government aim is to get food reserves which are able to accommodate from 700 tones of cereals to 1,000,000 tones”, the PM said adding that, the government has proposed to have larger food reserves which looks like SILOS because these facilities are equipped with the modern technological equipments that identifies the number of cereals kept inside. He said this year’s production of cereals in the country has recorded 1.5 million tones, out of which 800,000 is rice compared to the surplus of 300,000 tones which was recorded last year. In view of this, however the PM said that, the government is facing a challenge of getting reliable markets for the produced cereals although the government had largely became so independent for the  NFRA as a prime purchaser and yet it has the ability to accommodate only 240,000 tones per year.