Mgimwa’s body arrives in Dar tomorrow

Dar es Salaam/Iringa. The body of the minister for Finance, Dr William Mgimwa, 63, who died on Wednesday in South Africa, will be flown home tomorrow. The Kalenga MP will be buried at his Magunga Village in Iringa Rural District on Monday.

The chairman of the national funeral committee who is also a minister in Prime Minister’s Office responsible for Policy, Coordination and Parliamentary Affairs, Mr William Lukuvi, said on arrival aboard South African Airways the body will be preserved at the Lugalo military hospital in Dar es Salaam.

He said the body will be received at the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere International Airport on Saturday at 1pm, adding that the body will briefly be taken at his Mikocheni B residence then late in the evening it will be taken to Lugalo hospital.

He said friends and relatives will have a joint mass and pay their last respects to the departed finance minister at the Karimjee Hall grounds on Sunday.

Mr Lukuvi said after paying their last respects the body will be flown to Iringa town ready for burial on Monday afternoon.

Dr Mgimwa’s family spokesperson Mr Charles Nato said declined to mention the disease that killed Dr Mgimwa saying that the family was waiting for his doctor’s postmortem report.

The son of the late Dr Mgimwa, Godfrey Mgimwa, said that it was a great loss to the family and the government at large basing on the fact that Dr Mgimwa was a ‘good father.’

“We lost a father and a leader of the family, on the other side we will miss his advises as he used to advise us,” noted Mr Mgimwa adding that the deceased is survived by a widow and seven children.

Describing the deceased, Mr Vita Kawawa who apart from being his fellow Member of Parliament is also a neighbour said that the National Assembly has lost a very keen person who knows what he want and want his nation is going to benefit.

Expressing his sorrow, the deputy Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) Secretary General for mainland Mr Mwigulu Nchemba said that he knew Dr Mgimwa as his fellow Bank of Tanzania (BOT) worker where he used to advise him a lot.

“We knew that he was suffering from kidney problems, as a result I think that’s what killed him,” said Mr Nchemba who is also the Iramba East MP.

The Deputy Finance Minister Ms Saada Salum Mkuya said that the ministry will hold a media conference this morning in which she will address the whole timetable to be employed during the funeral event.

“It is a great loss as he was like a teacher to, Dr Mgimwa was not a boss he was just a worker or a colleague to us, he has gone when we needed him the most,” said Ms Mkuya.

“We will hold a press conference tomorrow (today) morning whereby we will give out the final timetable which I’m on my way to discuss it with the Minister responsible Mr William Lukuvi,” said Ms Mkuya.

Meanwhile, the government of South Africa has sent its condolences to the government following the death of Dr Mgimwa.

South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan was on Thursday quoted by the South African-based Business Day as saying that the two ministries shared same economic principals and that Dr Mgimwa was instrumental in ensuring economic cooperation between the two nations.

“Dr Mgimwa keenly appreciated the importance for African countries to strengthen their economies and finance through co-operation to ensure economic stability and to attract investment,” Mr Gordhan was quoted as saying.

“South Africa and Tanzania share a common economic destiny, both being members of the Southern African Development Community which, among other things, aims to harmonise finance and investment rules, including tax policies (more specifically those relating to investment incentives),” he said.

The late Mgimwa began his career as a bank accountant with the National Bank of Commerce, later becoming a manager at the bank from 1996 to 1997, and then a director from 1997 to 2000.

Before standing for parliament he was principal of the Bank of Tanzania Training Institute in Mwanza from 2000 to 2010. He was appointed finance minister in May 2012.

Reported by Alex Bitekeye, Mkinga Mkinga and Sylivester Ernest