VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDR #0218 0911318
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 011318Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8384
INFO RUEHSB/AMEMBASSY HARARE 0586
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 1215
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 3373
RUEHLGB/AMEMBASSY KIGALI 1300
RUEHJB/AMEMBASSY BUJUMBURA 2851

UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 000218 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR INR/OPN/MR, INR:FEhrenreich and AF/E:JLiddle 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KPAO KMDR PHUM TZ
SUBJECT: Tanzanian Press Takes April Fool's Day Seriously: 
Front Page Jokes Illustrate Top Issues on Media Minds 
 
REF: 2008 Dar es Salaam 130 
 
¶1.  The April First editions of several Tanzanian dailies allocated 
space on their front pages to play April Fool's jokes on their 
readership. 
 
¶2.  The Guardian (circulation 25,000) ran an above the fold article 
entitled, "Government makes about-turn and buys Dowans plant 
secretly."  The last several months have seen a debate played out in 
the print media between those who advocated for parastatal Tanzania 
Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) to purchase used 100MW generators 
to alleviate the ongoing power shortage affecting the country, 
especially in Dar es Salaam, and those who argue the proposed deal 
would have violated procurement law.  Moreover, the equipment in 
question originally entered Tanzania as part of the Richmond 
contract; the scandal over that contract led to the Prime Minister's 
resignation in February 2008(reftel).  Previous front pages on the 
controversy over Dowans (allegedly owned by MP Rostam Aziz, who also 
owns several media outlets) have been devoted to intra-party spats 
between prominent Members of Parliament (and National Executive 
Committee) from the ruling Chama Chama Mapinduzi (CCM) party. Some 
vitriol was disparaging enough to provoke other CCM leaders to 
intervene in the interest of party cohesion. 
 
¶3.  Swahili daily Majira (circulation 20,000) ran a front page story 
headline stating that former president Benjamin Mkapa would address 
a public rally today to "boldly defend" himself against allegations 
of corruption and abuse of power during his tenure (1995-2005). 
Citing immunity for a former head of state, President Kikwete, 
joined by a handful of constitutional legal experts, last year 
quelled ever present clamoring from the opposition and some public 
quarters for Mkapa (and his wife, Anna) to be charged with illegally 
operating a private business from State House while in power.  Mkapa 
has retreated to his compound in the posh Dar suburb of Msasani and, 
when seen in public, is more often outside of Tanzania. 
 
¶4.  This Day (circulation 5,000) ran a below the fold story, "Three 
ministers out, two transferred in minor reshuffle," reporting the 
Finance Minister, Water and Irrigation Minister (and former 
presidential aspirant), and Minister for Good Governance (recently 
elected head of the CCM party women's wing) had been tossed out of 
the cabinet, while two others (one currently involved in a legal 
dispute with the media) had been transferred to different 
ministries.  In fact, the last ministerial shakeup in Tanzania took 
place in February 2008, when then-Prime Minister Edward Lowassa and 
two ministers stepped down following allegations of corruption in 
the Richmond affair, which were made during parliamentary debate 
carried live on national television.  (Note: separately, former 
Attorney General/Minister of Infrastructure and Development Andrew 
Chenge, who stepped down in April 2008 over revelations of 
unexplained offshore bank accounts, was charged yesterday with 
reckless driving after he was in a 4 a.m. accident over the weekend 
in which two women in the other vehicle died.  End note.) 
 
¶5. The government-owned Daily News (circulation 10,000) also had 
some fun poking regional neighbors by claiming that Tanzania had 
withdrawn from the East African Community (EAC).  Recently, 
Tanzania's tough position on land and labor issues have contributed 
to discontent within the EAC, which was exacerbated by a Kenyan 
(quickly withdrawn) proposal to relocate the EAC's headquarters from 
Arusha. 
 
¶6.  The African (circulation 5,000) ran a below the fold story, 
"Mugabe finally agrees to resign," stating Zimbabwe's president 
would relinquish his role to Prime Minister Tsvangirai in one 
month's time.  The faux article included fake Mugabe quotes 
supporting his rival. 
 
¶7.  Comment:  While the total print media circulation is only a 
fraction of the entire Tanzanian population, front page stories are 
frequently displayed on the morning television news and read as 
radio news bulletins, thereby reaching millions of viewers and 
listeners.  While one deejay noted it was April Fool's Day, he did 
not clarify which news items were meant as a joke.  All the stories 
above concluded with some form of "April Fool's Day," but most 
reveal the true sentiments of some editors about what the media 
fraternity, and the wider Tanzanian public, would like to see happen 
to improve the standard of living and the level of good governance 
in Tanzania.  Those editors who do not venture to write about such 
things in their daily commentaries--either out of fear of government 
disfavor or censorship from media owners (some who are prominent 
politicians)--can safely defend April 1st stories by saying, "it was 
only a joke!" 
 
ANDRE