Her neighbour Mzee Madenge survived the shock though his three homes went down in an equally ruthless manner typical of a bulldozer. His renters in two homes were equally shocked as they were left hanging around with their belongings in the neighbourhood whose structures would soon be crushed into rubbles.
Even the children were not spared in mourning the demise of Mkwajuni in the largest demolition scheme to have ever carried out by the government of the day.
They joined bandwagon of hundreds of their panicking parents shedding tears of desperation typical of homeless refugees short of a camp.
“You could see women collapsing and innocent children crying as the bulldozer pitilessly pulled down one house after another,” a shoe shiner at Mkwajuni bus stop tells the story.
But Mama Mzungu’s plight was special because she was a lady of the highest repute amid Mkwajuni’s lay public.
“If you are a local football fan around here you must have known this woman. She was very famous for selling ice-cream,” says the shoe shiner.
“You could always spot her at Hananasif Primary School grounds selling ice-cream during football matches; so she was indeed a very famous woman around here.”
However, while the mostly youth public were sympathetic of the ‘good’ Mama Mzungu, they ridiculed a female victim of the demolition reputed for her being front-liner in campaigning for Chama Cha Mapinduzi’s (CCM) presidential candidate Dr John Magufuli during the pre-election campaigns.
As the bulldozer was carrying out assignment of Magufuli’s government, appeared a group of youngsters chanting a famous CCM general elections campaign slogan “Mtaisoma Number, CCM Mbele Kwa Mbele” (You will get it the hard way, CCM ever forward), a rebuke to opposition that they would simply end up reading the plate number behind the ever speedy car of the victorious CCM, meaning that the opposition would be mere ambulance chasers.
The youth had now turned the slogan into a song to rebuke the front-liner, a prominent female cadre of CCM whose house was now facing the fury of a bulldozer. As she was extremely puzzled, the youth thronged the site singing the ‘Mtaisoma number’ lyrics, says the shoe shiner.
The ‘mtaisoma namba’ was also forced into the ears of other mostly women in the area whose houses would soon succumb to power of the demolition law. The youth believed those women had their ‘mtaisoma namba’ voices raised high during the campaigns, says the shoe shiner.
“The tragedy turned into an entertainment movie of its kind,” he says, adding “the youth seemed to be happy with what befell on the victims as they have reaped the fruits of what they grew.”
It was a “drama” in an event that saw at least 300 houses pulled down amid disbelief from eye witnesses including the shoe shiner.
Even those, whose houses were destroyed under a heavy presence of security personnel, fell in shock as they could hardly stomach the tragedy.
It was a shockwave that brought tears of rage across the nation where millions in whose lexicon the word “if” is no longer an issue, but “when” will be their turn.
In the immediate list reminiscent of the Mkwajuni encroachers in Dar es Salaam alone include thousands of residents of the flood-prone Mzimbazi valley involving Kigogo and Jangwani, not to mention quite a number of others who have built their houses in unauthorized locations, not only in the city but across the country.
But unlike Mkwajuni, the word “bomoabomoa” (demolition) has long become a public tip of the tongue cliché in Kinondoni Municipality that had seen a lot of posh buildings falling, while others still braving the countdown of the uncompromising red X mark on their walls.
However residents of Mkwajuni and other areas along Msimbazi valley had initially occupied the illegal areas by posing as vegetable growers, gradually building makeshift structures and then permanent structures as the government remained quiet about the encroachment.
The government has vowed to crash all the houses built in unauthorized valley areas as well as other locations set aside for special uses but illegally turned into residential locations. The areas include open spaces, those built in road reserves along the shores and river banks.
Earlier in the week, government officials were again at the questioned locations to earmark houses for demolition.
Hazina International School, one of the country’s success stories on education has also been marked X implying its days are numbered, apparently creating concern over fate of the children and their educators.
But the government must see how it’s going to help the school children whose future might be compromised with the ongoing exercise.
Otherwise the confused parents might not be thinking of sustaining their children’s education anymore, says a resident near Msimbazi valley neighbourhood.
“At least we are going to develop some sort of discipline now,” he asserts. “There is no better way to treat these people,” he says in reference to the victims whom he believes have themselves to blame for buying land plots without consulting relevant authorities.
Meanwhile, posh houses belonging to political and business elite along the banks of Msimbazi valley towards Surrender Bridge, have been marked with the hostile X, sending a stinging signal that no violator would be spared of the bulldozer.
A female resident of Ubungo External who was not worried of the ongoing demolition campaign in its initial stages, is now scared that the infamous crackdown may visit her neighbourhood which like many others, is off the city’s master plan.
“We thought an action like this would never happen as was the norm with previous governments,” she says, adding; “I have already told my son to receive us as we may soon become his guests.”
But on Tuesday the reaction turned soar for the government officials who went to Hananasif area to put X on houses.
They were encountered by an angry mob of the potential victims armed with machetes who were only stopped by riot police, says Ahmed Kondo, a shop owner in the area showing the reporter the list of people whose houses had been demolished.
“That man in grey hair is now living at a nearby guesthouse, but we do not know whereabouts of his family members,” he says while warning the reporter against taking interview from the victims who were angered of the ongoing exercise.
Most of the earmarked houses around Hananasif, according to Kondo were built on the banks of the Msimbazi valley, in open spaces and reserved areas such as markets and those who blocked street ways.
“There is an open space down there close to former Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda’s house. I understand there is a house of a very prominent person near his house, but I’m not sure if even Pinda’s house itself is safe,” he says.
An area near the National Housing quarters on the other side of Kawawa road, a big number of houses have been marked with X by Tuesday. Some of them have been built in an area meant for a market, judging from the city’s master plan.
Officials from Tanzania National Electricity Supply Company (Tanesco) have surveyed the area to cut off electric supply in preparation for the planned demolition.
“In the X black book list is also a house owned by a retired Port Authority officer who had erected the building despite several warnings.
He used to wipe off X marks put on the walls of his house,” says Kondo, adding, “but now that Tanesco people have told him that they really mean, he has stopped his harsh abusive language.”
Judging from the Mkwajuni experience, no one is never safe as long as one lives on a river bank, on the sea shore, open space or in the flood-prone area, making a question as to who will be next, impossible to answer.
But certainly, residents of the upper areas in an orderly surveyed Mwanagati in Ilala Municipality will not be spared as land officials had sold out open spaces and reserved areas such as markets, police posts, and health centres to the people who became residents of the area.
“I was so surprised when I recently learned that even a market near the Catholic Church is claimed to have been sold away,” says Mwita Chacha, the Mwanagati Area Chairman. “Let us have the master plan and we will collectively see what to do,” he says.
A few metres away from Nyangasa in Kitunda area there is a number of houses including some built on a public school plot that have been earmarked for demolition.
“Several houses here, including part of my house’s fence will be pulled down,” says Frank Msilu, as he names some of his neighbours as a prominent former national soccer team player and several senior journalists.
“This is what we call the rule of law. It has to prevail despite the pain that we might be enduring,” says Chacha.
Even the children were not spared in mourning the demise of Mkwajuni in the largest demolition scheme to have ever carried out by the government of the day.
They joined bandwagon of hundreds of their panicking parents shedding tears of desperation typical of homeless refugees short of a camp.
“You could see women collapsing and innocent children crying as the bulldozer pitilessly pulled down one house after another,” a shoe shiner at Mkwajuni bus stop tells the story.
But Mama Mzungu’s plight was special because she was a lady of the highest repute amid Mkwajuni’s lay public.
“If you are a local football fan around here you must have known this woman. She was very famous for selling ice-cream,” says the shoe shiner.
“You could always spot her at Hananasif Primary School grounds selling ice-cream during football matches; so she was indeed a very famous woman around here.”
However, while the mostly youth public were sympathetic of the ‘good’ Mama Mzungu, they ridiculed a female victim of the demolition reputed for her being front-liner in campaigning for Chama Cha Mapinduzi’s (CCM) presidential candidate Dr John Magufuli during the pre-election campaigns.
As the bulldozer was carrying out assignment of Magufuli’s government, appeared a group of youngsters chanting a famous CCM general elections campaign slogan “Mtaisoma Number, CCM Mbele Kwa Mbele” (You will get it the hard way, CCM ever forward), a rebuke to opposition that they would simply end up reading the plate number behind the ever speedy car of the victorious CCM, meaning that the opposition would be mere ambulance chasers.
The youth had now turned the slogan into a song to rebuke the front-liner, a prominent female cadre of CCM whose house was now facing the fury of a bulldozer. As she was extremely puzzled, the youth thronged the site singing the ‘Mtaisoma number’ lyrics, says the shoe shiner.
The ‘mtaisoma namba’ was also forced into the ears of other mostly women in the area whose houses would soon succumb to power of the demolition law. The youth believed those women had their ‘mtaisoma namba’ voices raised high during the campaigns, says the shoe shiner.
“The tragedy turned into an entertainment movie of its kind,” he says, adding “the youth seemed to be happy with what befell on the victims as they have reaped the fruits of what they grew.”
It was a “drama” in an event that saw at least 300 houses pulled down amid disbelief from eye witnesses including the shoe shiner.
Even those, whose houses were destroyed under a heavy presence of security personnel, fell in shock as they could hardly stomach the tragedy.
It was a shockwave that brought tears of rage across the nation where millions in whose lexicon the word “if” is no longer an issue, but “when” will be their turn.
In the immediate list reminiscent of the Mkwajuni encroachers in Dar es Salaam alone include thousands of residents of the flood-prone Mzimbazi valley involving Kigogo and Jangwani, not to mention quite a number of others who have built their houses in unauthorized locations, not only in the city but across the country.
But unlike Mkwajuni, the word “bomoabomoa” (demolition) has long become a public tip of the tongue cliché in Kinondoni Municipality that had seen a lot of posh buildings falling, while others still braving the countdown of the uncompromising red X mark on their walls.
However residents of Mkwajuni and other areas along Msimbazi valley had initially occupied the illegal areas by posing as vegetable growers, gradually building makeshift structures and then permanent structures as the government remained quiet about the encroachment.
The government has vowed to crash all the houses built in unauthorized valley areas as well as other locations set aside for special uses but illegally turned into residential locations. The areas include open spaces, those built in road reserves along the shores and river banks.
Earlier in the week, government officials were again at the questioned locations to earmark houses for demolition.
Hazina International School, one of the country’s success stories on education has also been marked X implying its days are numbered, apparently creating concern over fate of the children and their educators.
But the government must see how it’s going to help the school children whose future might be compromised with the ongoing exercise.
Otherwise the confused parents might not be thinking of sustaining their children’s education anymore, says a resident near Msimbazi valley neighbourhood.
“At least we are going to develop some sort of discipline now,” he asserts. “There is no better way to treat these people,” he says in reference to the victims whom he believes have themselves to blame for buying land plots without consulting relevant authorities.
Meanwhile, posh houses belonging to political and business elite along the banks of Msimbazi valley towards Surrender Bridge, have been marked with the hostile X, sending a stinging signal that no violator would be spared of the bulldozer.
A female resident of Ubungo External who was not worried of the ongoing demolition campaign in its initial stages, is now scared that the infamous crackdown may visit her neighbourhood which like many others, is off the city’s master plan.
“We thought an action like this would never happen as was the norm with previous governments,” she says, adding; “I have already told my son to receive us as we may soon become his guests.”
But on Tuesday the reaction turned soar for the government officials who went to Hananasif area to put X on houses.
They were encountered by an angry mob of the potential victims armed with machetes who were only stopped by riot police, says Ahmed Kondo, a shop owner in the area showing the reporter the list of people whose houses had been demolished.
“That man in grey hair is now living at a nearby guesthouse, but we do not know whereabouts of his family members,” he says while warning the reporter against taking interview from the victims who were angered of the ongoing exercise.
Most of the earmarked houses around Hananasif, according to Kondo were built on the banks of the Msimbazi valley, in open spaces and reserved areas such as markets and those who blocked street ways.
“There is an open space down there close to former Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda’s house. I understand there is a house of a very prominent person near his house, but I’m not sure if even Pinda’s house itself is safe,” he says.
An area near the National Housing quarters on the other side of Kawawa road, a big number of houses have been marked with X by Tuesday. Some of them have been built in an area meant for a market, judging from the city’s master plan.
Officials from Tanzania National Electricity Supply Company (Tanesco) have surveyed the area to cut off electric supply in preparation for the planned demolition.
“In the X black book list is also a house owned by a retired Port Authority officer who had erected the building despite several warnings.
He used to wipe off X marks put on the walls of his house,” says Kondo, adding, “but now that Tanesco people have told him that they really mean, he has stopped his harsh abusive language.”
Judging from the Mkwajuni experience, no one is never safe as long as one lives on a river bank, on the sea shore, open space or in the flood-prone area, making a question as to who will be next, impossible to answer.
But certainly, residents of the upper areas in an orderly surveyed Mwanagati in Ilala Municipality will not be spared as land officials had sold out open spaces and reserved areas such as markets, police posts, and health centres to the people who became residents of the area.
“I was so surprised when I recently learned that even a market near the Catholic Church is claimed to have been sold away,” says Mwita Chacha, the Mwanagati Area Chairman. “Let us have the master plan and we will collectively see what to do,” he says.
A few metres away from Nyangasa in Kitunda area there is a number of houses including some built on a public school plot that have been earmarked for demolition.
“Several houses here, including part of my house’s fence will be pulled down,” says Frank Msilu, as he names some of his neighbours as a prominent former national soccer team player and several senior journalists.
“This is what we call the rule of law. It has to prevail despite the pain that we might be enduring,” says Chacha.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
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