To err is TO human? Nope; we say, ‘it is HUMAN to err’

As you read this, the nation is laying to rest one of its most iconic sons, Dr John Pombe Joseph Magufuli, who died on March 17. May God kindly receive JPM’s soul and rest him in eternal peace. From God we came, and to Him we’ll all return.

Having said that, let us proceed to do what this column is essentially all about: sharing linguistic gems collected from recent editions of the Bongo English press. Here we go…

Page 3 of the huge and colourful broadsheet (Saturday, March 20 edition), has this story, ‘Two public holidays for JPM’s funeral’, in which the scribbler says in his intro:

“Tanzanians will have the opportunity to pay their last respects to FORMER President John Magufuli in four regions…”

Former President? No, sir! Dr Magufuli died in office, which is to say, what the nation lost on March 17 wasn’t a “former president”— an expression our colleagues uses three times in his story. Meaning, he is sure of what he is talking about!

The fact, however, is that, even as we inter him today at a grave beside that of his father in Chato, we will talk of laying to rest His Excellency President (not former president) John Magufuli.

If you are overly keen to qualify his designation, probably for the purpose of minimising the unlikely mix-up—now that we have in place a new president, Madam Samia Suluhu Hassan—you may refer to him as “the departed…”, “the late…”, “the deceased” president, but never “the former…”

In Para 7, our colleague—purporting to quote a source—writes: “On Monday, March 22, Dodoma residents will mourn and pay their last respects BEFORE THE BODY BEING transported to Mwanza.”

We will do a partial rewrite to clear the mess we have highlighted in capitals: “…Dodoma residents will pay their last respects before the BODY IS TRANSPORTED to Mwanza.”

Still on Saturday, March 20. Bongo’s senior-most broadsheet had a piece on Page 10 entitled, ‘In Africa, we honour the dead, period’, and therein the scribbler says in Para 3:

“I can rightly say that the country is overwhelmed with sadness because within a short time that President was ON the helm of this great country things started rolling…”

On the helm? Nope; for slightly over five years, Dr Magufuli was AT the helm…

By the way, “helm” is the lever or wheel controlling the rudder of a ship for steering a position of control. Figuratively, the word refers to the top-most position of leadership at an institution.

The man at the helm of MCL, which publishes this tabloid among others, is Bakari Machumu. And, along the Mandela Road in Dar City where they publish TSN media products, there is Ms Tuma Abdallah at the helm.

In Para 5 of the ‘In Africa…’ article, the scribbler says: “In this world we are living in, nobody is perfect, because we are all humans, and that is why they say, ‘to err is TO HUMAN’.

Oh! This is goofing per se! A mish-mash of words that provides no meaning. A word salad!

We aver our colleague had in mind the expression, “It is human to err”, which means, when you are a human being, you are bound to err (make mistakes).

In Para 6 of the same piece, the scribbler writes: “Last week, I went to the airport to PICK a friend of mine, and we passed through Tazara…”

Pick a friend…? No; he went to PICK UP a friend. To pick is to choose or select, like when the President looks around and picks a person to work as minister.

If you prove incompetent, the person at the helm DROPS you and picks another to replace you. And, when you give someone a lift in your car, you thereafter DROP him OFF somewhere.

Ah, this treacherous language called English!