Africa-Press – Tanzania. SIMBA Sports Club Board of Directors’ Member, Zacharia Hans Poppe has died at the age of 65.
A statement issued by the Club via its official Twitter account said Poppe passed away on September 10, but it did not provide further details.
Initially, it was reported Poppe was admitted to the Agha Khan Hospital in Dar es Salaam suffering from respiratory problems. Daily News, however, couldn’t independently verify the statement.
It will be recalled that Poppe, who was facing charges of forgery in a case involving him and former Simba leaders, its former President, Evans Eveva, and his deputy Godfrey Nyange, failed to proceed on August 31 this year after reports that Defendant number three (Poppe) had fallen ill.
Who Is Hans Poppe?
Zacharia Hans Poppe was born in Dar es Salaam in 1956 and grew up in Iringa to his mother although his father is Greek. Poppe joined the Tanzania People’s Defense Force (TPDF) shortly after completing his secondary education and reached the rank of Captain before being dismissed and sentenced to life in prison under the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere administration in 1983.
In 1995, the second-term President, Alhaj Ally Hassan Mwinyi released him on a presidential pardon one month before President Mwinyi handed over office to the third-term President, the late Benjamin Mkapa.
While in Butimba Prison, Poppe founded the Prison’s Premier League and formed the Simba Prison team. It is said, Poppe has been a fan of Simba since the early 1970s. In his interview with the media, he repeatedly insisted that it was a match between Simba and Yanga in 1973 that made him realize that he and Simba are inseparable. In that match, the Simba won 1-0 with the only goal scored in the 68th minute by Haidari Abeid “Muchacho”
Poppe will be remembered for many, especially in the sports industry, mainly football.
