Speed up probe into murders, police urged

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania Media Women’s Association (Tamwa) is preparing to mark the sixteen days activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) by asking the government to speed up investigations into murder cases of children and women.

The association has also challenged the public to cooperate with authorities in ensuring that investigations into the cases get completed in time.

The sixteen days of activism against GBV will start on November 25 and end on December 10.

In a statement released yesterday by the director of Tamwa in Zanzibar, Dr Mzuri Issa, in this year alone already five women and two children were killed in the Southern Unguja Region.

“These killings happened on May 14, this year involving a child, Elizabeth Ndaula, 8, whose body was found in a forest in Bambi,” said Dr Issa, adding that if those were being dealt with speedily and information shared, they might help stop those harbouring similar intentions of taking lives of innocent women and children.

According to her, in the same month, a woman, Patima Abdallah Makame, 27, and a five-month old baby Haji Ismail were found killed at their home at Guruweni Jendele in the same region.

Furthermore, she said, in July two other girls Wasila Mussa, 21, and Agatha Pius were killed in separate incidents and different areas in the Central District, Southern Unguja Region. It was reported that Agatha was killed after she was attacked in the neck with a sharp object when she went to the farm in the morning.

However, early this month, Issa Masuli Juma, 40, and his wife Asha Khamis, 20, both from Kibele District were killed by unknown people after they were attacked in the head with heavy and brunt objects.

Dr Issa said in the statement that the number of those killed this year increased compared to those of 2016 and 2017, whereas in the latter four women were killed. On November 7, 2017 Asia Khamis, 26, was killed in Paje Southern Unguja and his body was thrown along the seashore. Again in October last year, Asha Ramadhan Saleh was killed at Bububu and in May the same year Samira Sultan Abdallah was killed. In June 2016 artiste Ali Mashimba, 45, in Bambi Kijibwemtu, Southern Unguja Region was killed.

Likewise, women’s cases were seriously injured by burning like Samira Abasi Ameir of Paje Southern Unguja Region and Kauthar Ashraq Juma, a resident of the Kiamesheki in Magharibi Region, were tortured and burned to death.