Govt doubts drivers’ training plan

The government has put in suspicion plans by Tanzania Drivers Workers Union (TADWU) of conducting training to all drivers in the country saying that, ‘this is a pretext to successfully accomplish the impending drivers strike’ a statement issued by the government has said. According to the statement signed by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labor and Employment Eric Shitindi said that, the programme set by TADWU to drivers in the country is a planed mission aimed to facilitate the impending strike organized by the union in favour of drivers in the country. The government has discovered that the objective of organizing such a training programme at this time around is to get off the road all drivers as a way to get a solution to their long standing claims. The statement has highlighted such claims as associated with permanent legal contract work, salary increment, enough daily allowances and the minimum wage in transport sector and other claims associated with their fringe benefits as well as terminal benefits. The statement is quoted as saying that the government had satisfied itself after it had come across such a plan and deliberated the content issues of the programme set and it has discovered that TADWU has violated the country’s labour laws as such information was not passed through to the respective working places of the concerned drivers’ employers where TDWU has its members targeted to undergo such a training programme. In addition to that, the information conveyed by TADWU officials had greater discrepancy in the sense that it did not specify the types of drivers, nor the number of participants for the training, the number of nominees by their employers, the timetable for the sessions to be undertaken, the statement said. The statement further highlighted other discrepancy in TADWU’s information report that it lacked approval by employers as well as it didn’t indicate the type if transport vehicle which would stop from operating so as to avoid inconveniences likely6 to occur during training days. However, either the government in its statement has highlighted various elements which have to be followed by the governing workers bodies while introducing such training requesting the representatives of such trade unions must inform employers to get in touch with their employees according to the law. 

This is how the situation was in recent past when drivers went on strike at Ubungo upcountry bus stand in Dar es Salaam. After seven hours of their strike, they started to move out of the stage compound amid cheering from the crowd that had gathered outside the gate celebrating in jubilation as each bus was coming out in a miraculous style.

In implementing such directives, the drivers must be allowed by their employers to attend such training in order to keep going other activities bearing the fact that transport sector is crucial for the country’s development if at all the movements of goods and passengers stalls, the economy collapses. Another element as directive the government has instructed as quoted in a statement  is that, all trade unions have the right to provide in-house training to employees in their places of work where there are branches or wherever there are genuine members. In view of this, the government has insisted and reminded TADWU leaders and drivers in the country to implement their day-to-day’s activities as stipulated by the country’s laws and shun away from any malpractices which are threat to the property and people’s life especially to those who depends on transport services. Either the government has cautioned them to recognize that their position is very important and if not followed properly according to the law is likely to slow down social and economic activities in the country. The government has also warned drivers and TADWU officials that the programme set for their training is an indication of a strike which is not legal according to the country’s labor laws, and if it happens that drivers shall have violated the law. The PS noted in the statement that the government has made efforts to educate transport stakeholders through seminars and various trainings and has actively involved in distributing papers and flayers as a joint communication to end up the long standoff between drivers and their employers as related with their remunerations in order to end up inconveniences caused to innocent people. He concludes the government would continue to educate stakeholders on what was decided by a task force of the 13 committee members which was formed by the Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda to look at the problems of drivers in the country. The committee chairperson Dr. Shabaan Mwinjaka issued his report to transport stakeholders two weeks ago and directed all employers to abide by what the committee had decided about driver’s queries. The committee which was enjoined by drivers’ associations in the country was formed to deliberate driver’s most crucial issues and came up with a solution that all employers need to implement.

India’s exports to Tanzania increases higher

EXPORTS commodities from India to Tanzania has amounted to $ 2.4 billion during the trading year period ending in December 2014, while imports from Tanzania to India during the same trading period stood at $ 1.2 billion. India’s exports to Tanzania in 2014 increased by 7 percent compared to the export figure of $2.3 billion recorded in 2013. In comparison of the same trading period, Tanzania’s exports to India have increased by 72 percent in 2014. According to the annual economic and commercial report for 2014 issued by the Indian High Commission in the country, the balance of trade is in favour of India by $ 1.1 million. According to the report, India’s share of Tanzania’s total imports in 2014 amounted to 19 percent, while its share of Tanzania’s total global exports was 20 percent. 

Elaborating on the statistics made available by India High Commission, the Deputy High Commissioner of India in the country Robert Shetkintong said during an interview in his office that, India’s main exports commodities have not changed. He mentioned the exports as petroleum products, medicines, electrical ire and telephone cables, motorcycles, construction trucks and buses, iron and steel items and tractors. He further noted that, his country India mainly imports from Tanzania commodities such as gold, cashew nuts, pulses, oil-cake, timber, spices (clove), precious gemstones and cotton. He said compared to the trading year of 2013, India’s exports to Tanzania in the year 2014 increased primarily on account of greater exports of medicines, passenger motor vehicles, tractors for agriculture, and motor-cycles. Elaborating more on the importation of commodities from India to Tanzania, he noted that there has been a higher demand of imported commodities from India mostly medicines due to their cheapest and affordable price rates.

Wonderful as a contractor assigned for demolition pulls out

In what seems to be lack of expertise and inability to perform, a foreign contractor who was assigned to pull down a 16 storey building along Indira Gandhi Street in Dar es Salaam has surrendered to do the job. The building which was ordered by the government to be pulled down over two years ago is still standing in its position despite of the fact that fund for its demolition is in place. The Ilala Municipal Director Isaya Mungurumi said last week in a telephone interview that, the Chinese firm by name of China Railway Jianchang Engineering Company (T) Ltd (CRJE) doing its construction activities in the country has pulled out of the contract. However, he said the municipal in collaboration with the ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Developments is looking for a strategic investor who would do the highly technical job which requires lots of expertise. Mungurumi further did not clarify reasons that led to the withdrawal of a firm as the issue is under investigations administratively after he company’s experts went outside the country to look for more experts to help do the job, has never come back an aspect that has ushered failure to execute the job bearing the timeframe set for doing the job is over. This paper tried in vain to get into contact with the Chinese firm whose offices are located at Upanga suburb in Dar es Salaam city centre for their comments as there was no response as efforts to reach its Managing Director through office landline telephone proved futile. The building which is located along Indira Gandhi Street at the heart of Dar es Salaam city is owned by a Dar es Salaam based business man Raza Huseein Damji with the National Housing Corporation (NHC) having a 25 percent share in the project.  The government through the ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development ordered the building be pulled down at a cost of Sh. 1 billion after building experts discovered that it had developed some internal cracks on its walls whose presence poses a great threat to the lives of the people around it. 

The standing 16 storey building along Indira Gandhi Street at the hear of the city centre in Dar es Salaam  that pose a great threat to passersby and which has been ordered by the government to be demolished.

The Ministry had ordered the demolition after the former building owned by the same businessman that stood opposite it collapsed in March 2013 and killed about 36 people at a time when Prof Anna Tibaijuka was the Minister in-charge of the ministry.  Contacted for comments, the Ministry’s Communication Officer Mboza Lwandiko told the Guardian in an exclusive interview on Wednesday this week in Dar es Salaam that, the ministry is in place to ensure that the demolition takes place but failed to identify when the exercise would actually take place when asked. The government had discovered that, the two buildings with different construction permits had violated the laid down contractual rules and regulations as stipulated in their contracts whereby the owner erected a 16-storey structure instead of 10 floors as stipulated in the building permits which had been issued by Ilala Municipal Council authorities in Dar es Salaam region.  The mistake was discovered when the former building collapsed and during the investigations that lasted for a couple of one month later, building experts had discovered that the present building had been constructed at fault and recommended immediate demolition to prevent further losses. The survey conducted around the area last week noticed there is no sign post to indicate any danger around as required by the law so as to alert passersby in a bid to take precautions of the impending danger. However, a member of Tanzania Contractors’ Association Board who preferred anonymity said that, such sites which have been proclaimed to be dangerous are restricted from any social activities around near to it. Contrary to these alerts, it has been discovered that business is going on as usual in the area as though the site is safer to the understanding of many people who do not know the rule and instead keep on cross passing near to the building to attend their various business missions in the city. The sight has set tongues wagging and people say the owner might have used the time factor to make the people forget the matter although after the disaster the standing building was given a thorough safety inspection and discovered to have cracks that made it a risky structure.

New Suez Canal to boost economy of Tanzania ports

The recent inauguration of the New Suez Canal on the waterfront in Ismailia city in Egypt has been termed to be a bless as its operation will boost economy by increasing international maritime traffic in African major ports including Dar es Salaam, Tanga and Bagamoyo ports in Eastern Africa. The 35 kilometer canal extension that provides a gateway of vessels which navigates through to serve East African countries and the rest of Sub Saharan Africa region would help increase the number of shipping lines coming for offloading of their goods at respective ports.   The Deputy Ambassador of Egypt accredited in the country Ahmed Abdel Rahim said yesterday in Dar es Salaam that, the operation at the newly inaugurated canal has increased the passage of the number of shipping vessels from the former 49 to 97 per day. He said in an exclusive interview that, as cargo handling has become a competitive business worldwide, it is high time now that Tanzania must benefit through her ports by receiving as many shipping lines as possible. However, the Ambassador was reacting in response to a recent visit by Tanzanian Vice-President Dr. Mohammed Gharib Bilal who attended the inauguration ceremony in place of President Jakaya Kikwete who was invited together with other African leaders across the continent.  The invited guests witnessed a big economic achievement which has been spearheaded by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi aimed to boost African economic link with other continents such as Europe, Asia and Australia. 

New Suez Canal in Egypt 

Also in attendance according to the deputy Ambassador, were the global Mearsk Shipping lines representatives from Tanzania and other parts where they operates globally. According to him, the shipping line being the biggest and the leading in the world would work to boost the global economic link in terms of cargo handling and other services at the respective ports. Describing the importance of the canal to the rest of African countries, he noted that before the launching his country held a tripartite meeting with member countries of Common Market for Southern Africa (COMESA), East African member countries as well as the Southern African Development Coordination (SADC) member countries. The aim of the meeting was how to prepare the launching of the canal to deliberate on progressive matters on how to help boost the economy of these countries whose total population is estimated to be 625 million people. “Egypt has developed its economy through various ways among them is through tripartite meetings, visits by Egyptian businessmen, provision of training in commercial issues and that currently”, he said adding that, currently his country is constructing a highway that would link African countries from Cairo to Johannesburg city. He is however optimistic that the highway that will provide trade links that would help make Tanzania benefit a lot in terms of tourism. Earlier on Wednesday this week, the Guardian contacted the Press Secretary to the Vice-President’s office Boniface Makene on more clarification matters related with the VP’s visit in Egypt and noted that it had nothing to do with the Nile basin development corridor. However, he exclusively noted that, the visit is part of the cordial relations which the government of Tanzania and that of Egypt had been maintained since independence time. He further noted that, his visit has open up market opportunities into the country whereby trade at ports will be increased as many investors would be coming to offload their goods and hence the nation earn money. The Arab Republic of Egypt inaugurated an extension of a new 22-mile section of the Suez Canal that took just over a year to build at a cost of $ 8 billion (equivalent to Sh. 16 trillion which is about 70 percent of the country’s total national budget)

Gongo La Mboto residents suffers due to power blues

RESIDENTS of Gongo la Mboto area and its surrounding environs are aught to buy a 20 litre pail full of water at Sh. 500 from the earlier Sh. 100 at a residential house with a water well which is being pumped by a running generator. Owners of water wells have been forced to increase an exorbitant price rate of a pail of water due to higher running costs they incur of fuel for their generators to pump water from their wells following a power blackout which has occurred in the areas now for six days consecutively. The survey conducted in the area on Thursday this week has witnessed scores of women walking around in search of fresh water being pumped up from the underground wells following a blackout situation following a power cut off in the area that occurred on Monday this week. “We do not have any means of survival except to buy water at such an exorbitant price rate” said Amina Mwajabu who is residing at Markaz one of the mostly affected hamlets area. She said at her home she has to use about five pails per day for cooking and washing utensils, an aspect that has to use fresh water to keep her and rest of family members in hygienic conditions. This paper has also discovered that, there are some households with normal wells whose owners charges Sh. 200 but the water is so salty that is not fit for use e specially cooking and washing of utensils or clothes. Due to this situation, the Guardian on Sunday has discovered that most residential houses have been experiencing problems of accessing their goods when night  falls with others have their cell phones locked for lack of recharging, while hotel businesses are deteriorated with few others have opted to close them up for lack of fresh water which purposely is more useful for drinking and cooking. Counting for the losses in his businesses, one Rashid Abdallah who runs a small hotel in the area, said that, his businesses had been deteriorated due to lack of power as there is no water now for the sixth day  now. Contacted for comments, the Tanesco’s Public Communications Manager, Adrian Severine said in a telephone interview that, power went off at Gongo la Mboto following a big transformer that is located closer to an area where former Sungura Textile Mills was located blew up. He said that, many places have been affected such as Majohe Mongolandege, Ulongoni, Chanika, Mvuti and Pugu Kajiungeni However he said that, the TANESCO management had to take another transformer which was stored at Bagamoyo  to replace the defective one which hopefully would be tested to start supplying power today (Sunday).