AfricaPress-Tanzania: BAGAMOYO District Commissioner, Ms Zainab Kawawa, has urged businesspersons to continue using Bagamoyo Port in a bid to contribute to the country’s economic growth.
DC Kawawa made the statement recently during a special meeting with district’s businesspersons, who have stopped using the port claiming they meet poor services and mistreatments from the port’s officers in the district.
Earlier, the businesspersons’ chairperson, Mr Shabani Khamsini, told the DC that the leadership of the port has not been cooperative, but instead mistreat the traders resulting into them abandoning using the facility.
“The officers at the port are not giving us any support. They are using abusive language to us, issuing receipts which don’t correspond with the payments we are paying for the services and even threaten to beat us when we want some clarifications”, he pointed out.
However, the Bagamoyo port revenue collections have dropped from 3.0bn/- last November to 293.8m/- in May this year, after its activities plummeted due to the traders abandoning the facility.
Following the complaints, DC Kawawa said what the port officers were doing to the businesspersons was against regulations, laws and ethics of Civil Servants Acts and needed to be dealt with accordingly.
Also, the DC said the acts have cost the government after losing much needed revenues following the decision by the businesspersons to abandon the port.
In response, she assured the businesspersons that the district’s Defence and Security Committee would start investigating the allegations and if proved true, then stern measures will be taken against them.
“While we are working to solve this matter, I would like to remind you that it’s your right to use the port without any fear. I am promising you that I will work hard to ensure that stern measures are taken against port leaders who have been mistreating you,” she said.
The DC also told Bagamoyo Port Manager, Mr Witharo Jared, to work according to the regulations and make sure the traders are treated fairly and business resume at the port.
