Masogange passes away after short illness

What you need to know:

According to Roben Simwanza, a lawyer to the deceased, Masogange died on Friday April 20 around 4.00 pm.

Dar es Salaam. Popular video queen Agnes Gerald, alias Masogange, is no more.

According to Roben Simwanza, a lawyer to the deceased, Masogange died on Friday April 20 around 4.00 pm.

He said she was suffering from pneumonia and died while receiving treatment at Mama Ngoma hospital at Mwenge in Kinondoni Municipality.

“I’m really shocked by her death; I received a call concerning her death about one hour ago (around 4.00 pm),” he said in brief.

Many artists including Steve Nyerere have expressed shock upon receiving news of their colleague’s death.

The socialite and video queen was on April 6, ordered to pay a fine of Sh1.5 million or serve a jail term of two years after Resident Magistrate-in-Charge Wilbard Mashauri had found her guilty on April 3, this year.

Magistrate Mashauri made the decision after proving beyond reasonable doubt that Agness Masogange was indeed using narcotic drugs.

The actress, who features in various music videos of Bongo Flava artistes, was first charged at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate's Court last year, facing two charges of using heroin Diacetyl and Oxazepam.

After months of legal wrangles, the court finally found her guilty of using the mentioned drugs. In the first offence, she was ordered to pay a Sh1 million fine or serve a two-year jail term while in the second offence, she was ordered to pay a fine of Sh500,000 or serve a 12-month-jail term.

The terms were to go concurrently. In a related development the Kisutu Resident Magistrate's Court has set April 23 as the date when it will decide whether former Miss Tanzania Wema Sepetu and co-accused have a case to answer or not.

This was among the cases that came up after the Regional Commissioner Paul Makonda launched a campaign to crack down on drug abuse and trafficking in the country.