Juju now a threat to national security

When communities are obsessed with witchcraft beliefs, all sorts of freaks should be expected. Social experts warn that killings linked to witchcraft are gradually becoming the new form of threat to the right to life. PHOTO | FILE

 Dar es Salaam. Witchcraft is the new threat to national security, say commentators and religious leaders as a recent count reveals at least 200 people have been murdered in superstition-related killings over the past nine months.
Experts are worried that current strategies to rein in the problem are failing. They are calling for rapid interve tion and want the government to come up with a workable plan to protect wananchi’s right to life. This anxiety comes in the wake of reports from all over the country that say more people are being brutally attacked and murdered on allegations of sorcery. For many communities these recurrent             
incidents pose a very real threat to peace, particularly in rural areas.  Over 1,400 people suspected of engaging in witchcraft have been killed between January 2010 and September this year according to the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC).
Most of them – 600 – were murdered between January and November last year. During the same period a year earlier 579 citizens lost their life in gross nationwide violations of due-process simply because they were thought to be sorcerers.
People with albinism have been targeted out for particularly gruesome treatment. To cater for a booming albeit macabre trade in their body parts which are falsely believed to possess “magical properties,” 64 albinos have been brutally murdered and their parts hacked off across the country between 2007 and September 2012.
Observers say these numbers would easily have doubled if cases of witchcraft-related attacks had not been reported. They blame widespread ignorance, poverty, life difficulties and a growing sense of disillusionment for this tragic phenomenon.
Entire communities have been wrecked by these unjustified killings, according to experts. They say this pervasive belief in the supernatural is standing in the way of progress.
“What you see today is an expression of ignorance and poverty in our communities,” former University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) don Dr Simeon Mesaki told The Citizen on Sunday in a recent interview. Ignorance perpetuates a false belief in the supernatural according to the anthropologist.
The witchcraft trade becomes even more acceptable when it is as commercialised as it is in Tanzania, where individuals are willing to pay a king’s ransom to fortune tellers or traditional healers who can “detect an evil person,” said Dr Mesaki. 
He feels the nation is fast approaching a tipping point as witch hunters become even more brazen. More needs to be done to reverse this alarming trend according to him.
One strategy would be to make “improving lives” and “law enforcement” top priorities in the national agenda. “We need to improve health delivery, nutrition, education and to address population growth and climate change if we want to uproot these beliefs (in witchcraft),” said Dr Mesaki.  The justice system has failed to eradicate witchcraft-related violence because it is too inefficient according to him. “The killings go on and on because cases are never heard. The judicial process moves too slowly to actually have an impact,” he said.
Laws on witchcraft also need to be adapted to current circumstances. “We have to have reforms if we want to blot out institutionalised beliefs in witchcraft and sorcery,” said Dr Mesaki.
For LHRC executive director Ms Helen Kijo-Bisimba superstition is simply a function of economic inequality. “Citizens are desperate and as you know, a desperate person would do almost anything,” she told The Citizen on Sunday. “It’s all about the economy,” she said. “Our country is so wealthy (so really) there is no rationale for anyone to engage in witchcraft. If one is busy and they make enough money to live on our superstitious beliefs will automatically melt away,” said the human rights activist.
Witchcraft-related murders are particularly chilling because they point to a freewheeling nation that allows anarchy to destroy entire communities, says the LHRC director. “It is going to be very difficult to govern this country if the trend continues,” she said. According to her neither government nor civil society take the witchcraft issue seriously. “We have organisations fighting the death penalty and for the rights of women and children but we do not have one that works to end witchcraft killings,” she told this reporter.
Independent global studies have revealed that on average Tanzanians believe in juju more than most other nationals in Sub-Saharan Africa. A 2008 survey by the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project of the United States shows that although many Tanzanians are religious, a lot of people still believe in witchcraft and evil spirits. The very same people that go to mosques on Fridays and to churches on Sundays are making offerings to ancestors and visiting witch doctors according to the Pew-Templeton study. Many more believe in reincarnation and in other elements that are the cornerstone of traditional African faith systems.
In the five-member East African Community (EAC) Tanzanians were said to be the most superstitious and ranked third across the board after Senegal and Mali. The study, titled Tolerance and Tension: Islam and Christianity in sub-Saharan Africa, was conducted in 19 countries across the continent.
Nine out of every 10 respondents from Tanzania told Pew-Templeton researchers that religion is important in their lives, yet an overwhelming 60 per cent said they consulted traditional healers when they or someone close to them got sick. They also admitted to keeping amulets and other ‘magical’ tidbits in their homes and to taking part in ceremonies to honour their forefathers.
The survey involved some 1,504 Tanzanians of whom 907 were Christian and 539 Muslim. It established that although many Tanzanians are deeply committed to Islam or to Christianity they continue to cherish traditional beliefs and practices.
For some like UDSM sociologist Dr Datius Rweyemamu faith and witchcraft killings have very little to do with each other. He argues that the rise in superstition-related murders is a consequence of failure in delivering essential social services.
“If we had proper health services and a working education system we would not have seen this much violence,” he said in an exclusive interview with The Citizen on Sunday. “Organs that are supposed to provide basic social services are in shambles forcing citizens to find alternative solutions to their problems,” added the UDSM don.
Tanzanians are overwhelmed by economic problems and poverty so they look to witchcraft to solve their problems according to him. He is worried that these beliefs are so pervasive that they are getting in the way of law enforcement officers doing their jobs.
“These things are becoming a way of life. We’ll soon start seeing magistrates perverting justice because they are afraid they’ll be bewitched – remember these people are a product of a society that has embraced witchcraft,” said Dr Rweyemamu. 
The Auxiliary Bishop for the Catholic Diocese of Bukoba Methodius Kilaini takes Dr Rweyemamu’s argument a step further: He argues that witchcraft killings are a consequence of a get-rich-quick mentality among Tanzanians today. Citizens are rushing to juju men in droves in their quest for a sure-fire shortcut to wealth.
“When one is obsessed with wealth, religion plays second fiddle,” he said. He suggests that government institutes statutes that restrict the activities of traditional healers whom he blames for fuelling the killings of innocent citizens.

Lil Wayne hospitalised

Lil Wayne was reportedly hospitalised after suffering “seizure-like symptoms” on a flight yesterday.
The rapper’s private jet was forced to make an emergency landing in Texas after he became unwell during the flight.
According to US website TMZ, Wayne suffered “seizure-like symptoms” on the plane, and was rushed off to a local hospital for treatment when he touched-down.
Although no more details appear to be available at the moment, and there has been no official word from his camp, the star is reportedly “doing better”.

Diddy gets treatment for multiple injuries P Diddy has issued a statement thanking fans for their support after he was in a car crash in LA. A picture turned up of Diddy lying on the ground after the smash and today, there was confirmation that he sustained multiple injuries to his neck, ribs and collarbone. The music mogal’s chauffeur-driven Cadillac Escalade collided with a Lexus outside the Beverly Hills hotel on Sunset Boulevard and images of the vehicle online show its damage. Diddy refused offers of an ambulance at the time but his spokesman has since revealed that he did get medical treatment: “He is currently receiving treatment for these injuries from his physicians and would like to thank all of his fans for the outpouring of support that he has received since the accident.”

P Diddy has issued a statement thanking fans for their support after he was in a car crash in LA.
A picture turned up of Diddy lying on the ground after the smash and today, there was confirmation that he sustained multiple injuries to his neck, ribs and collarbone.
The music mogal’s chauffeur-driven Cadillac Escalade collided with a Lexus outside the Beverly Hills hotel on Sunset Boulevard and images of the vehicle online show its damage.
Diddy refused offers of an ambulance at the time but his spokesman has since revealed that he did get medical treatment:
“He is currently receiving treatment for these injuries from his physicians and would like to thank all of his fans for the outpouring of support that he has received since the accident.”

Bensouda to seek court’s help if Kenya withholds data

ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda addresses the press in Nairobi on Thursday/CFM

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 25 – International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has expressed optimism that the Kenyan government will supply her office with crucial information that it requires before the deadline of submitting evidence to the court in January next year.
Addressing a press conference after visiting Internally Displaced Persons in Nakuru, she revealed that she was given assurances that the information will be submitted on time during a meeting with President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
“I conveyed concerns regarding delays in the government’s response to a number of OTP (Office of the Prosecutor) requests related to our investigations. They assured me of their willingness to ensure timely and effective execution of the pending requests and instructed the Attorney General and the Cabinet Sub-Committee (on the ICC) to facilitate expeditious responses to my office’s requests,” she said.
Despite being sure she will get the information, she said she may be forced to file an application before judges if Kenya fails to cooperate by releasing information required by investigators.
Bensouda made it clear that the information was critical in delivering justice to the victims and also giving the accused persons a fair trial.
In regard to a possible presidential runoff, Bensouda said the court can only agree to change the trial dates depending on whether any of the accused – two of whom are interested in the top seat – make an application.
“It will depend on the merits of the request like any other applications by parties and judges will always ask for the other parties to comment on that,” she said.
Kenya’s Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Eldoret North MP William Ruto who are seeking the presidency are among four suspects facing trial at The Hague.
The two others are former Civil Service chief Francis Muthaura and journalist Joshua arap Sang.
In her meeting with Chief Justice Willy Mutunga on Wednesday, Bensouda was informed that a committee was already working on a special division of the High Court to deal with lower and middle level perpetrators.
Apart from that, she was also able to raise concerns over intimidation and threats to victims and witnesses which the government pledged to deal with to ensure their safety.
Earlier on Thursday, Bensouda assured IDPs in Nakuru that their concerns, including discrediting witnesses lined up at the trial, will be passed over to the judges hearing the Kenyan cases.
The ICC Prosecutor is on Friday expected to tour Kiambaa in Eldoret where people were burnt alive in a church during the 2008 post election violence before winding up her five-day visit to Kenya.

Poor diet causes spina bifida, mothers told

A call has been made on women to cultivate the habit of balancing their diet to help them avoid preventable diseases and malnutrition.

Speaking at the international day for children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus (SBH), which means having water in the brain, the executive director of the Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute (MOI) Prof Lawrence Museru said the absence of folic acid found in greens and potatoes among expectant mothers was a major cause of SBH among infants.

Consumption of sweet potatoes, cassava and vegetables or folic acid vitamins is essential to expectant mothers in order to mould a healthy child free from diseases like hydrocephalus, the specialist noted.

He urged society not to stigmatize children or families suffering from SBH as it often causes family separations, touching off single parent families and rampant poverty, as child patients require extra care.

“Children with SBH need support from family to community level as they have physical disabilities. They need support to perform their daily duties,” he stated.

One of the major challenges of eliminating the disease is scarcity of health centers owing to their location in urban areas, while rural areas have an immense problem due to ignorance. 

However, MOI brain orthopedic surgeon Dr Remery Mchome said the disease can be cured and prevented through provision of health education among the public.

Dr Mchome said initially many children lost their lives as patients lacked access to quick health services. Cultural misconceptions hinder campaigns against the disease as parents link the disease to witchcraft, he said.

The main cause of spina bifida is yet to be known, but it is thought that 80 percent of cases are a result of lack of folic acid (folate) in an expectant mother’s diet, while hydrocephalus stems from  blockage in the natural drainage system of the fluid in the brain.

About 95 percent of children born with spina bifida contract hydrocephalus, with SBH a lifelong condition where the patient   may need help and support throughout his/her life. At times such patients live a normal and healthy life with some minor problems, he added.

MPs want urgency certificate for benefits bill

John Mnyika

The war over amending recent social security  funds legislation is far from over as a member of Parliament now wants President Jakaya Kikwete to use powers vested upon him to order the government to bring the Bill to Parliament under a certificate of urgency.

John Mnyika (Ubungo-Chadema) cried foul yesterday, saying the government has defied the order of the House that wanted it to bring the Bill under a certificate of urgency.

He said that on August 6 MPs agreed that the Social Security Amendment Bill be presented to the House under such a certificate but reports gathered showed the Bill would be tabled as routine legislation.

Under the certificate of urgency a Bill is read once and then MPs can debate it.

A major weakness in the Bill is the presence of the clause that mentions members of the Parastatal Pensions Fund (PPF) as the sole beneficiaries of premature withdrawal of membership, shutting out members of other pension funds, he said.

The latter the Local Authorities Pensions Fund (LAPF), Government Employees Provident Fund (GEPF), National Social Security Fund (NSSF), and the Public Service Pensions Fund (PSPF). 

He also lamented the weakness shown by Minister for Labor Gaudencia Kabaka, Attorney General Fredrick Werema and the Social Security Regulatory Authority (SSRA) director general Irene Isaka, saying they did not effectively implement   recommendations and the government’s promise to the House.

The MP urged the president to ensure compliance with the MPs’ demand and authorize a certificate of urgency, as well as preparedness to approve review of the Act to enable early   withdrawal of benefits to all social security funds.

Parliamentary standing order no 80 provides that any bill tabled under a certificate of urgency will not brought to Parliament unless such a certificate is signed by the president.

If the president will not have signed the certificate and if the government will not submit the bill to Parliament according standing order No 93, the House cannot start debating it in the same sitting that it is read for the first time.

The vocal MP also demanded that the president moves to nullify advertisements by SSRA that new applications for withdrawal of benefits have been suspended for six months.

Waiting for the Social Security (Amendment) Act is not supposed to be used as a reason for suspending the right of applying for benefits when one is in need of the same, as this amounts to suspending workers’ rights, the legislator underlined.

The new Act passed by the House in April provides that one seeks benefits only in attaining the voluntary retirement at 55, but the previous Act allowed workers not yet 55 and out of formal employment to apply for withdrawal, or if they are much below 50, to wait for six months in view of getting another job, before they are eligible to seek premature benefits.

In  the Social Security Laws Act No. 5 of 2012 members of  all pensions funds were barred from accessing their terminal benefits until they reached voluntary retirement age of 55 years, which sparked a furore with trade unions once it was declared to be law.

MPs approved those amendments by merely trusting their good intention, but after trade unions came up against the Act, legislators said they had ‘overlooked’ the specific provision.

Kisarawe legislator Seleman Jafo (CCM) tabled a private member’s motion asking the House to order the government to review the Bill.

Minister for Labour Kabaka then promised the House that an amendment Bill would be tabled in the November parliamentary meting. However, the Bill to be tabled in the House has been seen targeting only PPF members.   

Zanzibar president talks tough on religious unrest

Dr Ali Mohamed Shein

Zanzibar’s regime yesterday declared that its patience against troublemakers who have recently staged violence by using the umbrella of Islamic religion is over—warning that it would deal authoritatively with errant religious preachers.

 The Indian ocean archipelago has experienced three anti-government protests so far this year; the latest, in mid-this month, saw one police officer killed, roads blocked and shops closed across the capital, Unguja City.

The group behind the demonstrations, Uamsho (the Association for Islamic Mobilization and Propagation), has plastered messages across the capital agitating for the archipelago’s independence. One such message, "if the coat doesn't fit, take it off", refers to disbanding the United Republic of Tanzania, which was born out of the 1964 union of Zanzibar and the mainland area of Tanganyika.

But, Dr Ali Mohamed Shein, President and Chairman of the Isles Revolutionary Council, yesterday came out clean, saying his administration would deal decisively with “anyone who breaches public peace”, adding that his regime could no longer condone such meddlers.

Dr Shein issued the stern warning in his speech at an Eid Baraza, during the climax of the Haj celebrations at the Bwawani Hotel.

Noting that government patience had been pushed to the limit, the president is quoted to have made a resolve never to tolerate such religious zealotry.

He said the government is “tired” of current acts aimed at disrupting public order and that his administration would have “no mercy” on anyone behind them.

This is the first time the highest leader on the Isles has directly linked current disturbances in the Isles to the self-styled Islamic revival group, Uamsho, which he also accused of occasioning damage to public infrastructure and vandalism of personal property.

The president also put the killing of a police officer, Corporal Said Abdulrahman,  of the crack field force unit (FFU) squarely on the shoulders of Uamsho religious zealots. He stressed that the governmet would ensure – through all means possible – that public security and peace were restored to the Isles.

Above all, the president he would also deal use the same state security institutions to deal with any other disruptive elements in the Isles – emphasizing noe would be above the law.
 
To date, seven top leaders of Uamsho have been arraigned in court.

Dr Shein has meanwhile made an impassioned plea to the people not to get tempted to join the few individuals out to cause chaos in the country – warning that joining forces with such people was a crime punishable by law. He reiterated his resolve to deal with any such elements in order to protect other law-abiding citizens.

He has assured the general public of maximum protection to individual lives and properties, saying all the security forces were on high alert. He also offered condolences to the bereaved families and people who lost property during the disturbances.
Meanwhile, Mwinyi Sadallah from Zanzibar reports that Zanzibar Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance has advised the government to form a team to probe claims by Islamic Revival Forum leader Sheikh Farid Had Ahmed (41) that he was abducted, to get truth.
The commission floated the advice yesterday    after police denounced involvement in the alleged kidnapping of the leader who went missing on October 16 and resurfaced two days later.
Commissioner Zahor Juma Khamis said the probe committee would help get the truth over Sheikh Farid’s claims, including clearing the air about the matter.
He said the allegations over the abduction have attracted the attention of the local and international community, creating feelings of mistrust among the public, especially police and citizenry.
“The commission would like to advise the government to form a probe team to investigate the matter and come up with a report that would be made public,” said Commissioner Khamis.