Friend of PIUMA under threat after uncovering foul play
Dear Friends!
I am honoured to send you greetings from an old city of the Netherlands, Maastricht. I will be sending you mail every weekend so that we can remain in touch as brothers and sisters who are working together for a common cause.
Today I would like to share with you the information I have found on the internet from one of the websites hosted in Tanzania. I was somehow shocked because the story was about someone I know very well, and who has been waking my dad up for the morning news so that my dad will wake me up for school.
The title for the story was “Vicky Ntetema ajificha baada ya ripoti BBC” by simple translation, the title says “Vicky is in hiding following a report she has made with the BBC.”
Vicky had been in the Mwanza, Shinyanga, Tabora and Mara region for her normal duties. These regions have been in the media frontline every day following the killings of tens of albinos. These stories have been striking headlines for more than two years.
The killing of Albinos is being perpetuated by the beliefs that organs from the body of Albinos would give good luck to their possessor and will eventually make one become rich. This belief has emanated from the traditional witch doctors that are enriching themselves by lying to their clients that they will become very rich if they get a concoction with the Albino’s organs in it.
In this article Vicky cries “I am living in hiding after I received threats because of my undercover work exposing the threat from witchdoctors to albinos living in Tanzania.”
I was surprised to hear someone like Vicky had to live in hiding in her home country, while these murderers and thieves go around enjoying life in towns as if nothing will happen. Of course they are sure; nothing will happen to them!
People who have been doing well for Tanzania have always ended up coming into problems. Albinos are being slaughtered every day and we have seen no tough action been taken apart from hearing lengthy political speeches.
Someone has to do something; someone has to tell what the root cause is and why these events happen. Then we have to see the police go under serious investigation and have them arrest these murderers. And that someone should be the government structures.
From the first Albinos who were murdered and put into such untimely death to the last one who had been killed recently, how many perpetuators have been arrested in connection to the events?
Vicky who had no skills at all in criminal case investigations came out with such a detailed story that could give the Tanzanians a second thought: why has the police force with their skills and knowhow on such cases failed to investigate? It is very unfair, painful and touching for people like Vicky, who have committed their resources for this country and its people, to start living like a most wanted terrorist in their own home country.
It has been normal for people who are against bad deeds to face untold consequence. In Makete District the chairman of the HIV positive patients support group, PIUMA, Mr. Kabuyu Kambanyuma was unfairly dismissed from his job at Bulongwa Lutheran Hospital following his stand against corruption that involved the Bishop and the Ministry of Health.
His secretary Wema Sanga faced a knock-out blow when she was forced into divorce from her husband and left to take care of the three children they had. Wema’s divorce was very much created by the local government officials. The councils, MP and village leaders all had a contribution in Wema’s divorce.
Jackson Mbogela and Edwin David were given a chance to test how life is in prison after uncovering the serious embezzlement of HIV donor funds in Makete. Hon. Lediana Mng’ong’o has not accounted for millions of money collected for HIV/AIDS and orphans in Makete since January 2005 to date, and nobody is talking about it.
It is my appeal, and should be the appeal of all of us, that the government should redefine its role; it should start protecting its people who are working against social injustice in the country. Leaving these people to fight their own way is sacrificing their lives, souls and spirit.
Why should good people always be in risk and on the run? It is a pity!
Sincerely
Nidekile! (Jackson Mbogela)
*Pictured Above: Vicky in Makete at PIUMA’s launch. December 1st, 2005.
