AfricaPress-Tanzania: POLICE in Dar es Salaam are holding seven people including the National Chairman of Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema), Freeman Mbowe, for attempt to organising illegal demonstrations in protest against General Election results.
Mbowe was arrested alongside two Chadema leaders including the party’s Northern Zone Chairman Godbless Lema and the Central Committee member Boniface Jacob.
Others are Isaac Lwandala, who was identified as Jacob’s driver, Edwin Sylvester Kisendwa and Elisha Elisha.
The Dar es Salaam Special Zone Police Commander, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police (SACP) Lazaro Mambosasa told the ‘africa-press’ in a telephone interview On Monday that the force’s intelligence team reported of the intended plans.
“We were notified of their meetings with regard to the planned demonstrations…they were planning to destroy infrastructure, set fires on petrol stations and people’s vehicles plying to and from their homes,” said SACP Mambosasa.
He disclosed that the police were going on with the arrest to disband any groups planning to go ahead with unlawful demonstrations.
Besides, they are going on with investigations in relation to the allegations on the arrest of the seven people.
When was asked if the city had reported any incident of demonstrations as of 11:00 am on Monday, the Commander said none had been recorded.
On Saturday, the Commissioner of Operations and Training, Liberatus Sabas during a press conference issued a strong warning against politicians and their followers, who intend to engage themselves in illegal demonstrations, saying it will institute stern legal actions against them.
It followed inflammatory statements issued by leaders of three political parties, who convened a media conference in Dar es Salaam on the day, declaring that beginning Monday, they intend to conduct non-stop demonstrations to protest what they termed as an unfair 2020 General Election results.
Meanwhile, several members and supporters of opposition parties in Liwale and Nachingwea districts in Lindi region are being held by the police, for setting fire to houses, cars and clinics, the night after the results were announced and before October 28th, this year, Kennedy Kisula in Lindi reports.
Lindi Regional Commissioner (RC) Godfrey Zambi told journalists here that the violence began during and after the vote counting process.
Liwale constituency MP-elect Zuberi Toss said his three cars and a house were set on fire by an alleged group of supporters and members of political parties.
The violence also affected the house and a dispensary of the councilor-elect, as they also set on fire. The RC said that the police force was able to arrest Chadema supporters at the home of the candidate with a gallon of petrol, mask and ammunition, ready for a riot in Nachingwea district.
Zambi said that so far the situation is calm, warning that the government is vigilant in fighting any crime that may arise, urging people to continue with their usual activities.
Ruling party CCM managed to get 137 councilors out of 152 posts for councillorship and the remaining was shared among the opposition parties in the Lindi region. CCM also won all eight constituencies in the region.
