Two British soldiers on vacation in Tanzania have been arrested and put on trial charged with the murder of a woman at the Silver Sands hotel in Bagamoyo – Mtanzania.
At least ten suspects who had robbed tourists in Bweju, South Zanzibar, have been arrested and one of them was killed after sustaining serious wounds in a shoot-out with the police. The suspects were arrested following a manhunt jointly carried out by the Zanzibar Special Anti-smuggling Unit (KMKM) and good citizens, shortly after the incident. He said that an unregistered speed boat believed to have been used by the robbers to travel from Dar es Salaam to the locations of the two hotels where the crime was committed, was also impounded. He confirmed that the stolen property had all been recovered and returned to the tourists who came from Switzerland, South Africa, France and Britain. “I would like to assure the general public and tourists from around the world that security has been enhanced and robbers inclined to tarnish the good image of Zanzibar and Tanzania as a whole are the losers,” said the local DCI.
The tourists commended the police for their quick response – Guardian.
Robbers stole millions of shillings from two tourist hotels – the Ocean Paradise and Machina hotels at Pwani Mchangani. At the Ocean Paradise hotel they took a cash box belonging to a scuba diving centre at the hotel. At Machina hotel, which was still under construction, two suitcases full of money were also taken away. Police were investigating with the help of police dogs – Nipashe.
Six people armed with pistols ambushed a van that was driving from Namanga border town to Arusha. It happened at around 1930 hrs. Passengers were held for 45 minutes while they were individually robbed of their belongings. As a result, public vehicles were stopped from travelling during the night – Mwananchi.
Zanzibar police has expelled five officers for asking $300 as bribes from tourists. The officers were charged with asking for the money from six tourists who were allegedly found with narcotics at Nungwi in the north. It is said the tourists wanted to buy cigarettes but were given narcotics instead. They were then arrested upon returning to their hotel – Nipashe.
On October 18th a Dar es Salaam magistrate ordered the arrest of Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco) Managing Director Rudy Huysen and City Water Chief Executive Officer Mike O’Leary for defying orders requiring them to appear before the court. Huysen was charged with destroying trees without seeking permission from the Dar es Salaam City Council and littering the surroundings by not collecting trees felled by the company’s employees. Tanesco’s lawyer pointed out however, that the summons was issued at “very short notice” and the MD was away…
O’Leary was alleged to be damaging roads in Kinondoni Municipality through negligence as water had flowed on to roads from leaking water pipes. The results of the case are not known.
In late September armed thugs robbed tourists of cash and personal effects at the Evergreen and Twisted hotels, some 45 kilometres south of Zanzibar town. Police mounted a massive manhunt after the robberies and managed to arrest eight suspects. The victims were French, Swiss, German, South African and Italian nationals on vacation in Zanzibar.
Under a new computerized vehicle registration system, the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) has seized 300 vehicles which had forged registration numbers. It is said they were stolen in neighboring countries. Police were working with Interpol to establish the countries of origin so that they could be returned. (Mwananchi).
The Guardian (September 20) reported that the prime suspect in the killing of 12 giraffes in Naiti village, Monduli District, had fled the country for the USA after a tussle between the villagers and wildlife authorities over who was to blame. Then came reports that two other 84-year old suspects had been arrested by the anti-poaching unit for taking part in the killings. Residents of the village threatened to march to the State House in Dar es Salaam to protest against the killings. They alleged that poachers targeted the fat of giraffes which was believed to be a cure for AIDS. Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Zakia Meghji ordered an investigation.
Two Tanzanians arrested in September in Rio de Janeiro were found with photographs of the American embassy there. They were charged with illegal entry. The US embassy in Brasilia said that it did not believe that they were planning a terrorist attack – Mtanzania.