CHADEMA Iringa Mjini

Mgombea Ubunge kupitia tiketi ya CHADEMA katika Jimbo la Iringa Mjini, Mch. Peter Msigwa (katikat) akiteta jambo na Mjumbe wa Kamati Kuu-Taifa,Bi Chiku Abwao (kushoto) Jumatano.

TFDA has destroyed fake mineral water and other products in Iringa

By Friday Simbaya,
Iringa

TANZANIA Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA) in Iringa Municipal Council have conducted crackdown and intercepted various items and later one destroyed at the dump site at Kihesa Kilolo for allegedly to be unfit for human consumption including bottled water and tined milk from South Africa.

The TFDA in collaboration with municipal health department had seized and destroy about 367 cartoons of bottled water with the street value of 765,100/- from MajiAfrica Tanzathai Co. Ltd-Iringa, a number of tins of infant milk called S26 believed have some melamine, fake women sanitary pads called ‘Always’ and some cosmetics for hip lifting used to enlarge hips.

According to Iringa Municipal TFDA coordinator, Ms Deodata Rukupwa, who is also Municipal Health Officer, have seized the cartoons of bottled water containing some white particles inside from water wholesalers, sanitary pads, infant formula milk from SA and some fake medicated soaps.

Although she could not prove scientifically what those white particles inside the bottled water where, but said the white particles might be dangerous to consumers' health, it was a reaction after the public outcry that the water was impure.

She added that the S26 milk was seized last year following the directive from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare which was on 27/08/2009, that imported milk had some problems.

Responding to the allegations, MajiAfrica company director, Maiko Fliakos, said his company had discovered that there are white particles in the water (bottled Maji Africa).

“We have informed all our customers and distributors that they should return all water with production date 19/04/2010 to 24/04/2010. And we will replace it. We have tested this water at the water quality laboratory, Ministry of water and results show that it is calcium which is bonding. The results show that there is no dirty or contamination of water,” MajiAfrica director told the Guardian during an exclusive interview.

He told the reporter that they use no chemicals in the water but it is only passed through deionizers to control the calcium bonding; unfortunately it seems that one of those machines failed, thus the calcium problem.

“We have stopped the deionizer with problem and already the spares from Germany have come so that it can regenerate. We are sure that our water is not dirty and that it is fit for human consumption. The problem is that because of the calcium particles it is assumed dirty”

Calcium is a key component in good healthy water. Calcium is also one of the principle elements making up the earth's crust.
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JOURNALISTS UPDATED ON PHOTOJOURNALISM

By Correspondent
Friday Simbaya,
Iringa

JOURNALISTS have been called upon to write news stories of the rural areas because the media coverage in the country is predominantly urban.

The challenge was given yesterday by Danstan Raphael a trainer from the Flame Tree Media Trust (FTMT) during the on going ten-day effective rural photojournalism coaching in Iringa region.

He noted that Tanzania has a population of around 38 million people and about 80 percent of Tanzanians live in rural areas, yet the media coverage in the country is mainly urban.

“The media outlets are in the urban, while the newspaper columns and TV/radio is filled with urban happenings and details, according to the Media Council of Tanzania (MCT) report of 2007/08” said Raphael.

The effective rural photojournalism education is involving ten journalists who are members of Iringa Press Club (IPC), it is funded by Tanzania Media Fund (TMF) in collaboration with MCT.

The under reporting of rural issues ‘kill’ the rural areas and make them less known to people outside.

However, rural areas only get attention when some politicians or public figure make visits or when there is an outbreak of epidemic, accidents, floods, domestic violence and such unusual events.

Raphael noted the in order for someone to become a rural reporter one should acquaint him/ her with knowledge of rural areas in terms of social, political and economic development

“For instance, in the classroom survey we brought in about four local newspapers in both languages it shows that there were more urban news than rural” he pointed out.

A prominent photographer, Mwanzo Millingo said the coaching project is aimed at empowering regional photographers with skills that they may use to visualize grass-root issues.

He explained that the photographers are coached on how to generate ideas, select approach and visualized them by picture stories.

“We encourage each of the photographers to have a unique idea and approach in visualizing so that their final work remains original and independent,” he said.

However, he said that the aim is to have photo stories published in the newspapers as part of improving the quality of photojournalism and the media products in the country.

The coaching covers Lindi, Iringa, mara, Mwanza, Zanzibar and Kigoma in a period of one year.

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