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Adeladius Makwega – MBAGALA
It was 12 January 2026, a public holiday in Tanzania, the East African nation. On this day, non-essential government activities do not take place, though hospitals, the police and other emergency services continue to operate. It is the day when Tanganyikans and Zanzibaris (Tanzanians) commemorate the liberation of Zanzibar from the grip of Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah.
That morning, Mwanakwetu, at home, read and watched several pieces prepared by Tanzanian journalists to mark the day. He came across many articles, but one in particular caught his attention — an article by Majjidi Mjengwa, which the Full Shangwe blog published exactly as written. A day earlier, on 11 January 2026, Majjidi Mjengwa had phoned him and they spoke at length.
Dear reader, note that Mwanakwetu and Mjengwa know each other very well.
At this point, Mwanakwetu has just woken up and must prepare breakfast. He checks his kitchen and realises he has no tea leaves. Quickly, he buys some from a nearby shop, returns home, and starts making his black tea. As he does so, he wonders to himself: Today is Revolution Day; fellow Tanzanians are at home — will it pass without me writing anything at all?
Once the tea is ready, Mwanakwetu takes two chapatis from the table, prepares a neat kachumbari salad, and begins to drink his tea.
After three sips of tea and several bites of chapati, three names of deceased Tanzanians come to his mind: the late Thabiti Kombo, the late John Gudinita, and the late Richard Tambwe Hiza.
Dear reader, remember that Mwanakwetu is drinking his tea from a green plastic cup — a top cup. As he sits there, a particular incident comes back to him:
“You young people, listen. Here there are Somalis, here there are Mangas, here there are Arabs, and here there are white communities — but all of us here are Tanzanians. You black people should not pretend to be superior to others. We are all equal; we are all Tanzanians. This is not only within CCM — whether it is leadership contests, employment, or even at school when choosing a head boy or head girl — we are all equal.”
These words were spoken by John Gudinita at a gathering of the CCM Youth League at their headquarters building in Dar es Salaam, near Aga Khan Secondary School in Mzizima, in what was then an open field. Many young people were seated on the ground as the leader stood in front of them. I believe this was around 1987/1988, possibly during preparations for CCM’s 10th or 11th anniversary.
As Gudinita was speaking, people from Bakhresa arrived and brought large quantities of ice cream in many containers, and the youth became visibly excited.
Let me add this: Mwanakwetu participated in this event only after much pressure from his late mother, Dorothy Mlemeta, who was a primary school teacher at Mnazi Mmoja Primary School in Dar es Salaam. She insisted, saying that if he participated, he would receive a free tracksuit, cap, and badge.
Remember, Comrade Gudinita stood at the front and said:
“Do not give them cold things, do not distribute them yet — they have not had tea. What about theirs? Give them tea and one loaf of bread shared between two people, those hard loaves like shoe soles, and then give them the ice cream because they have come from physical exercises.”
Gudinita then said he was about to finish:
“The Sultan and his associates were barbaric — extremely barbaric. They would take young men and assign them the task of digging holes for coconut trees.
By custom, a coconut tree requires a deep hole, about half the height of a human being — from the feet to the waist. Young Zanzibaris themselves, as well as young migrants who had gone to Zanzibar to seek a living, did this work to earn money to survive. They were paid very little.
What many did not know was that brutality took place during this work. You would be sent far from others to dig several holes. When you were close to finishing — perhaps you had already dug around a hundred holes for planting another day — a fool, a brute, a savage would come. While you were inside the hole, he and his companions would attack you, strip you, your head facing down in the hole, and then sodomise you. Being inside the hole, you could not fight back. After doing this, they would tell you that this ‘game’ would continue.
Many youths, after experiencing this, became angry and refused to continue working in the Sultan’s coconut plantations. This increased hatred towards the Sultan’s rule, and that is where the Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP) gained massive support — because the cruelty of the Sultan had evidence in the hearts of the youth.”
As John Gudinita spoke, Mwanakwetu was there that day among a group of youths sitting on the ground listening. Gudinita then asked:
“Are these things good?”
The youths replied:
“They are not good.”
Are these things moral?They replied:
“They are not moral.”
Are these things honourable?They replied:
“They are not honourable.”
Are these things just?They replied:
“They are not just.”
John Gudinita continued:
“That is why ASP, TANU, Cuba, Egypt, and others united with the oppressed Zanzibaris to fight the Sultan until he was removed from power. The Cubans — people like Fidel Castro — were white; Egyptians too. But they came to help fellow human beings who were being oppressed. That is why here you see all colours and all tribes of Tanzania — we are Tanzanians.”
Gudinita said- he himself had not been in Zanzibar; the story was narrated to him by Minister Thabiti Kombo.
After these words, he bade the youths farewell and left.
Afterwards, tea was served: one loaf shared between two youths. Then everyone received Bakhresa ice cream, and tracksuits and caps were distributed, one each, for the activity ahead.
Dear reader, remember that Mwanakwetu is drinking his tea on 12 January 2026, while recalling that CCM tea with one loaf shared between two youths back in 1988, and remembering all this in his mind — including how his biological mother used to force him to go there, saying:
“Adeladius, my child, go — go, you will get a tracksuit.”
Mwanakwetu also remembered the late Richard Tambwe Hiza, his relative from Temeke and Mbagala, Dar es Salaam.
One day, during the 2015 CCM parliamentary campaigns in Mbagala constituency, he said the following:
“The current CCM leaders did not experience the pain, struggle, and turmoil of demanding independence and the Revolution. They do not know that these things began as what seemed like jokes — complaints such as ‘you are doing this’ or ‘you are doing that’. People began leaving work under the colonialists as if it were a joke, until eventually change came.
Today’s leaders talk a lot, act very little, and do not listen, whereas leaders like Julius Nyerere used to listen 365 times and speak once. Now you speak 365 times and listen once — you cannot succeed in solving people’s problems because you do not know those problems.
I am with CCM; I am the Propaganda Secretary. When I speak, they say, ‘President, do not listen to Tambwe — he is CUF, he is CHADEMA.’ You are surprised: I am with you, yet you still say I am the opposition. Meanwhile, the opposition calls me a traitor. If these words keep repeating, I will have to go there — perhaps that is where God wants me to be.”
Dear reader, remember that Mwanakwetu is drinking his tea on 12 January 2026, recalling first John Gudinita and the story of Thabiti Kombo, and finally this story of Richard Tambwe Hiza. His two chapatis, kachumbari, and cup of tea fill his stomach and give him strength, and that is when he decides to write the article you are now reading.
So, what does Mwanakwetu say today?
Indeed, the story narrated by the late Thabiti Kombo about the brutality of the Sultan and his associates speaks clearly. Today’s leaders must understand that true Revolution is not about going to stadiums, wearing suits and comparing appearances — who looks smart, who does not — parades, or who entered first and who entered second. Those are not true Revolution.
True Revolution is solving the problems that citizens are complaining about. That is why TANU, ASP, Cuba, Egypt, and others did not unite to remove the Sultan for celebrations, pomp, or parades, but with a clear aim and intention: to help the oppressed who were being abused and sexually violated by the Sultan and his collaborators.
“How is it possible to celebrate the Zanzibar Revolution while the CCM National Publicity Secretary is present, yet another Tanzanian who once held the same position — and who was the Chief Campaign Manager for the presidency of the previous government under John Pombe Magufuli — has been abducted and his whereabouts are unknown?
If a former Publicity Secretary, an ambassador to several countries, a former Member of Parliament of the United Republic of Tanzania, and a CCM member can be abducted — are you, the bodyguard of the current Publicity Secretary, safe? Are you, the current CCM National Publicity Secretary, safe? Are you, the ordinary citizen, safe?
Brother Humphrey Polepole spoke from his heart. He is a Tanzanian; he is a leader. There are leaders today whom Polepole helped shape — so where should he speak? In Cuba or Malawi? His abduction is unacceptable.”
If we say that this resembles those same acts of digging coconut holes and sexual abuse, would we be wrong? Zanzibaris broke their silence, united with their relatives, and the Sultan was removed. Here, CCM must ask itself: what kind of party is it? This situation is not good.
What was seen in towns and villages on 29 October 2025 and the days that followed is evidence of the reality. CCM should have recognised this earlier and made decisions quickly — not waited for committees. Which committees? Whose commissions? Does CCM no longer have eyes? Should we buy it glasses so it can see — because this is a revolutionary party.
Return to John Gudinita’s questions to the youths that day: Are these things good? Are they honourable? Are they moral? Are they just? A good leader must love their youth. Whatever you do to young people is dangerous — they have physical strength and sharp minds, while you are older, your strength is gone and your mind is tired, unless you use other youths. How long will you keep using youths against youths?
“A good leader loves their youth.A good leader treats citizens justly.A good leader speaks once and listens 365 times.”
If you listen 365 times, your youths will not be shot. No one will be raped or sodomised. No one will be abducted. No one will be imprisoned unjustly, and security organs will not be hated by their own citizens.
“Let us ask ourselves: can a person be in office and, as a sane human being, not ask — is it safe here? Will what happened to Mdude happen to me? To Ali Kibao? To Humphrey Polepole?How do these people think about me? How do they see me? Do they wish me well? What do they pray for me? Ask God to open the hearts of your fellow human beings — you will see the truth.”
Is Mwanakwetu present?
What should this article be called?Go, My
Child, Go — You Will Get a Tracksuit?
If Only You Had Listened 365 Times?
Or Gudinita, Tambwe Hiza and Thabiti Kombo?Mwanakwetu
chooses:Go, My Child, Go — You Will Get a Tracksuit.
I wish you a good day.
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