Adeladius Makwega-MBAGALA
“There was an incident involving the disappearance of a young woman. The matter was extremely sensitive and was followed up very closely. Investigators discovered that shortly before the girl disappeared and her phone was switched off, her mobile phone had been near several other phones, at distances ranging from zero to about ten meters. When they traced the communications backward, they found that there was a group of nearly ten or more people involved, and later the total number doubled from the initial figure.
Within this group there was only one woman. The investigators arrested 20 suspects. They did not focus much on the men; instead, they dealt exclusively—100 percent—with that one woman who had been in the vicinity of the missing girl’s phone number. Later it became clear that the entire group—19 men and this one woman, making 20 people—had jointly committed offenses including conspiracy to abduct, torture, sodomize, rape, kill, and then destroy evidence.”
When the case was presented before the Honorable Court, it was astonishing to hear that half of this group had committed all the crimes of conspiracy to abduct, torture, sodomize, rape, kill, and destroy evidence.
“Within that group of more than ten men and that one woman, the question arose: how could this one woman rape and sodomize? This argument was raised on behalf of the accused identified as code number XXX-10, claiming that this woman did not have a penis to rape or sodomize, since she did not possess male anatomy. The prosecution explained that although accused XXX-10 did not have a penis, on the day of the incident, when the young woman was abducted, this woman—who was among the abductors—took the victim’s phone and kept it. After the incident, she quickly switched the phone off after taking it from the young woman’s breasts.”
The Honorable Court was informed that accused number XXX-9 stated in his sworn affidavit that although he was present at the scene, he was only a driver. His role was to transport the group from one place to another, and the only act he remembered was that he was the one who locked the door of the house where the incident took place, making it appear as if no one was inside and that the occupants had traveled.
From the sworn statements of the other accused, it emerged that:
“Accused number XXX-8 claimed that he was present at the scene and that his role was to carry the young woman from the car into the residence because he was physically strong. However, he swore under oath that he did not rape, sodomize, kill, or destroy evidence.”
The Honorable Court also heard another argument:
“Accused number XXX-7 was at the scene and witnessed what was happening, but he was assigned the task of taping the victim’s mouth shut with adhesive tape and then turning up the volume of the music in the house. At the beginning, when the young woman was screaming, he started by covering her mouth.”
The course of arguments in court further revealed that accused XXX-6 was a guard at the residence where the incident occurred while the acts were being carried out.
The courtroom debate between the two sides was very intense.
Especially concerning accused XXX-10, the only woman among the accused: it is true that she was present at the scene, and merely being present implicated her in all the offenses of the case and transformed her womanhood into that of a brutal male. Moreover, her act of taking the phone and keeping it—removing it from the lawful owner—facilitated all the crimes, because the phone was hidden in the breasts (the right breast of another woman). She should have recognized that this was her fellow woman and that her action prevented anyone searching for the young woman from finding her. If someone had tried to contact the victim, or if the victim had been able to make a call, this would have been possible. Thus, it amounted to blocking communication and unlawfully seizing the phone.
The judge said the following in court:
“Woman, did you not ask yourself that if 19 men could violate one woman in front of another woman, and you—her fellow woman—did not help her, this meant that mentally and psychologically accused XXX-10 was no longer a woman but a brutal male. In her mind, accused XXX-10, your physical being changed into that of a man because of the savagery you committed.”
The judge’s remarks were extremely harsh, and he added:
“When you block information from reaching society, you facilitate all the crimes contained in that incident. That is equivalent to unlawfully seizing personal communication rights, to placing communication authority in your pocket. Woman, you were very skilled at ‘keeping the ball tucked under your arm.’”
As for accused number XXX-7, who was tasked with taping the victim’s mouth and turning up the music when she was screaming, he too was found guilty of all the offenses because his actions strongly facilitated the crimes. Similarly, accused XXX-6 was also implicated in the same offenses, and the court was told:
“Accused XXX-6, while on guard duty, heard the young woman’s screams as she was being subjected to indecent acts. XXX-6 became aroused and asked to relieve his arousal. Therefore, he handed over the guard post and weapon to accused XXX-10, and he, XXX-6, entered the act. Thus, he too committed all the crimes of this incident.”
My reader, all 20 accused were found guilty of all the offenses of that incident and were liable to be sentenced to death by hanging according to the law. However, the judge who decided the case opposed the death penalty due to his religious beliefs. Therefore, instead, all of them were sentenced to life imprisonment.
This judge was Judge Raymond Mwaikasu, who was a judge in Tanzania at the time. While delivering his judgment, he emphasized the following:
“The duty of safeguarding national security belongs to every citizen wherever they may be within the nation. Although defense and security organs are assigned certain duties by their governing laws, those laws cannot remove from individual citizens their fundamental responsibility to protect the security of their nation wherever they are. This is a constitutional duty and a basic obligation of every citizen. Members of defense and security organs should understand that they are citizens just like other citizens, with legal responsibilities just like the legal responsibilities of other citizens, including the law of marriage.”
What is Mwanakwetu saying today?
Without a doubt, my reader, you have understood this case well, which Mwanakwetu is recalling after narrating events from nearly 13–14 years ago. The main issue and target are the events that occurred on October 29, 2025, and the days that followed in Tanzania. Mwanakwetu is trying to make a comparison, especially by examining the responsibilities of public institutions that oversee communications, such as TBC, TSN, and even TCRA. Did they fulfill their duties? Did they perform their work properly, or did they fail to do so? Today, Mwanakwetu believes that TBC, TSN, and TCRA can be compared to several accused persons in this illustrative case of XXX that Mwanakwetu has narrated.
The question is: who is accused XXX-10, XXX-7, or XXX-6?
Indeed, my reader, you yourself should weigh this and try to see using the scale of justice. Before continuing to read this article, I ask you to return and reread this story from the beginning.
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“I am sure you have read this story again. Is TBC one of the accused? Who is TSN, and who is TCRA?”
Mwanakwetu believes that the names of the leaders of those three institutions were very skilled at “keeping the ball tucked under the arm,” just like accused XXX-10. Senior officials and those directly involved, Mwanakwetu advises, must be held accountable immediately, just as it is advised that heads of defense and security organs be held accountable.
Mwanakwetu, are you there?
What title should this article be given? They Were All Sentenced to Life Imprisonment or Experts at Keeping the Ball Under the Arm? Mwanakwetu chooses They Were All Sentenced to Life Imprisonment.
I wish you a good day.
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