THE AZANIA -TAMBAZA CONFLICT XLI

 

Adeladius Makwega – TANGA

 

In the previous text, my reader, you will remember that we were given letters to inform parents/guardians to attend a meeting on Wednesday, April 27, 1994, at the Office of the Regional Commissioner of Dar es Salaam, while the City Education Officer, Mr Abdul Mbegu, explained to us several conditions for participating in that meeting.

 

Personally, I prepared myself and looked for my school uniform, which consisted of grey polyester shorts and a white short-sleeved shirt. When I tried to wear those uniforms, they had already become very tight on me, because they had not been worn for seven months. There was no alternative; I washed them well and ironed them so they would be ready for the meeting.

 

While informing my parent about attending the meeting, when I handed the notice to my father, Francis Fidelis Makwega, he responded, “yes.” When that day arrived, we left Mbagala and went to the Office of the Regional Commissioner of Dar es Salaam, where we were received by cheerful clerks of that office and shown a bench where we sat together with our parents.

 

While sitting on that bench, I met several of my fellow students, including Arone Sifuni, Rubua Mustafa, Lukas Mganga, and a certain girl from Kisutu, but I did not see Mohammed Said (Mzukizi), who had been with us in one case.

While we were on that bench, an elderly woman passed by, accompanied by a man of average height, who was wearing a white kanzu and sandals, walking slowly as if reluctantly. As this man approached our side, he encountered staff from the Office of the Regional Commissioner of Dar es Salaam, who joked with him and laughed a lot because of his humor.
That man reached where we were seated with our parents and greeted all of us by shaking hands.

 

He said,

“Aha, these are my young people, you have come, eh! Very sorry for what you are going through. Parents should understand that when a child soils the hand, it is not cut off but simply washed. We are parents. Now we are heading into the meeting.”

On that bench, our colleague Lukas Mganga was older than us and was supposed to finish Form Four in 1993, as I explained in previous articles, and that is when he got into trouble.

 

Brother Mganga asked us,

“Do you know this old man?”

We replied,

“No.”

He said,

“This is Ibrahimu Raha (Mzee Jongo) from Radio Tanzania.”

 

We responded that indeed we had heard his voice. Even as he passed, he was being joked with by staff of the Regional Office of Dar es Salaam because of his humor — that is what we said.

“He is one of the members of the Education Appeals Board of the Dar es Salaam Region. He is also the Chairman of Parents of the Dar es Salaam Region (CCM Parents’ Association),” said Lukas Mganga.

 

While we were on the bench, your name would be called, then you would enter the hall with your parent.

 

We heard,

“Lukas Mganga!”

Lukas’s case was serious. It was alleged that they were found with dry leaves in their pockets, suspected to be drugs, while at school and wearing school uniforms. Those dry leaves were taken to a chemist for examination.

When Lukas entered the board, he did not stay long. He came out with tears in his eyes. When we asked him, he replied that the School Board’s decision remained as it was, and that he had been expelled from school.

 

Rubua Mustafa was called. Rubua Mustafa and another colleague were found with books that had been stolen after the school book store was broken into on the day Tambaza reopened after being closed for three months. On that day, all students filled out forms swearing not to cause unrest again, but the Form Five and Six book store was broken into, and many students rushed there, took books, and disappeared with them. That blame was placed on Rubua Mustafa and his colleague.

He entered with his colleague; shortly after, they came out. When we asked them, they said they had won their appeal and were told that after one week they should go and collect their letters to return to school. This Rubua Mustafa had been expelled while in Form Two.

 

The girl from Kisutu was called. This girl, whose name I have forgotten, was wearing a maroon skirt, a white T-shirt, and sandals. She entered accompanied by her father; she said she came from Temeke Mikoroshini.

After some time, the girl came out and did not return to where we were sitting. They went down the stairs near that office and left.

 

Then they called, “Arone Sifuni, Adeladius Makwega and Mohamed Said!”

 

We entered the hall—myself, Sifuni, and our parents. Arone Sifuni came with his father, who was an employee of the Ministry of Education, but Mohammed Said was not present, nor was his parent.

 

When we entered the hall, at the front table sat Ditopile Ukiwaona Ramadhani wa Mzuzuri (the Regional Commissioner of Dar es Salaam at that time) and Abdul Mbegu (the City Education Officer at that time), together with other members whom I could not identify, except for Mzee Jongo and the woman who had entered with him earlier while we were sitting on the bench.

 

Ditopile Mzuzuri asked us to introduce ourselves, and we did so. They also introduced themselves, while the Regional Commissioner introduced himself with all his four names:

 

“Ditopile Ukiwaona Ramadhani wa Mzuzuri.”

He said,

“You are all very welcome to my office. As members, we have discussed these three appeals which parents brought before the board with many arguments, especially the appeal of Adeladius Makwega. So, which one is Makwega?”

Mwanakwetu raised his hand. Ditopile nodded, then continued speaking:

 

“The decision is that student Mohamed Said, student Arone Sifuni, and student Adeladius Makwega should all be reinstated to school immediately and continue with their studies.

The Appeals Board believes that the parents have no further arguments, and these decisions reflect your requests. However, on the side of the Head of School—if you oppose our decision—you may appeal to the Minister of Education within 45 days from the date you receive this decision in writing. Do you have any arguments?”

 

Asked the Regional Commissioner, Ditopile Mzuzuri.

 

All our eyes, together with those of our parents, turned to Mr Wajimila aka Cobra who was representing the Head of School, Mr Mtera. In front of him were several files, which were ours.

On top of one file was written “expelled from school” in blue ink. Personally, I did not know whose file that was.

 

Mr Wajimila said:

“On behalf of the Head of School and on behalf of the Tambaza Secondary School Board, we accept these decisions regarding the three students: Arone Sifuni, Adeladius Makwega, and Mohamed Said. However, if they return, it will appear that students can cause unrest, then appeal, win, and return to school. Therefore, we request that they be transferred to other public schools.”

 

The Chairman of the Board, Honorable Ditopile Mzuzuri, replied:

“Alright, we have heard you, but I want this matter to be decided by my board members. Those are your requests. Parents, students, and the head of school, please step outside so that we can make a decision on these new requests.”

 

We went outside the hall. Mr Wajimila was holding his files tightly to his chest, head bowed, sitting alone aside. We stood with our parents waiting for what would happen after their discussion, while our parents talked among themselves.

My father was asked by Arone Sifuni’s parent, “Where do you work?” My father replied,

“I am a primary school teacher at Bunge Primary School.”

 

After a short while, the clerk of Ditopile Mzuzuri, a very cheerful woman, called us back into the hall.
We entered.

The Chairman of the Dar es Salaam Regional Appeals Board, Mr. Mzuzuri, said:

“Head of School, we are making this decision for the benefit of our schools and our children in Dar es Salaam. When we took Tambaza School from Aga Khan (H.H. Aga Khan), the aim was for our children to study—not to cause unrest, nor to be expelled carelessly without valid reasons.

I myself studied at Tambaza. However, your request has been received, and the secretary of this meeting, Mr Mbegu, will work on it.

 

Parents, we are sorry for what you have gone through. This matter is now closed. After one week, go to the Dar es Salaam City Office and collect the letters for returning to school. My children, go and study—do you understand me? You students? Go and study!”

We responded:

“Yes.”

 

We answered while shrinking timidly like a cat that has been splashed with water.

 

Mzee Jongo kept laughing throughout Wajimila’s arguments and the way the Regional Commissioner, Ditopile Mzuzuri, was conducting the meeting.

We left that meeting; Arone Sifuni said goodbye to his father, and I said goodbye to mine. My father gave me fare, and I went with Arone Sifuni. We passed through Ilala Kota to Pemba Street, house number one, where we had tea and explained what had happened to Arone’s mother, who laughed as well.

Then Mwanakwetu returned to Mbagala.

 

For those who remember earlier, when the appeal document was being sent to the board after Peter Pinda and Phidelis Mwidunda had completed it, my father did not sign it until I returned to Peter Pinda, who then removed the final documents bearing the parent’s name and replaced them with the guardian’s name. Remember there were five documents; therefore, five papers were removed and replaced with the guardian’s name, and lawyer Phidelis Mwidunda signed as the guardian.

 

A question you might ask yourself is: why did my father not sign those documents the first time? The answer is simple—it was fear of how the documents had been legally written. This issue was noticed by Mwidunda and Pinda, and they resolved it quickly within those 45 days for submitting the appeal to the City Education Officer. It should be clearly understood that my father was just a primary school teacher; people like Abdul Mbegu and Ditopile Mzuzuri were very senior figures to him, which is why even Ditopile Mzuzuri asked, “Which one is Adeladius Makwega?”

What will happen next? Wait for the next text.

 

Remember, this is The Azania -Tambaza Conflict XLI.

Have a good day.

makwadeladius@gmail.com
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