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Freeman Mbowe, chairman of the opposition Chadema party, has repeatedly accused the government of covering up the true extent of the coronavirus and implies that MPs had died of the disease.
Chadema Party President Freeman Mbowe (R) and Secretary General John Mnyika sit on the bench of the accused at the Kisutu Trial Court in Dar es Salaam on March 10, 2020. Image: AFP
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania – Tanzania’s main opposition party on Friday called on its lawmakers to stop attending parliament sessions and isolate themselves after three MPs died of unknown causes in the past 11 days.
Freeman Mbowe, chairman of the opposition Chadema party, has repeatedly accused the government of covering up the true extent of the coronavirus and implies that MPs had died of the disease.
The Minister of Constitution and Legal Affairs of Tanzania, Augustine Mahiga, also a deputy, was the last to die, he died on Friday at the age of 74, without an official explanation of his death.
Last month, parliament announced that a lawmaker had tested positive for the virus.
“We regret continuing to receive the deaths of MPs and other Tanzanians caused by COVID-19 infections,” Mbowe said in a statement.
The government has not commented on the cause of their deaths, issuing statements only to announce his death and convey his condolences.
Mbowe asked parliament to suspend his business for at least 21 days and test all parliamentarians, parliament staff, and their families.
“We believe that stricter measures are needed to protect lawmakers, as well as Tanzanians in general. Since the authorities have yet to make decisions, we want our MPs to be safe by immediately isolating,” he said.
By Wednesday, Tanzania had confirmed 480 coronavirus cases and 16 deaths, the only update it has given in the past nine days.
Regular updates were given until President John Magufuli on April 22 said the health ministry was “causing panic” with its announcements of cases and deaths.
Tanzania is one of the few countries in Africa that has not taken comprehensive action against the virus, and Magufuli is among a handful of world leaders who still downplay the severity of the disease.
Schools and universities have closed, but markets, bus stops, and shops are buzzing as usual, and Magufuli urges citizens to continue to work hard and to keep going to church or mosques.
“As the world goes through difficult times after the coronavirus outbreak, let us continue to work hard. The coronavirus should not keep us from serving Tanzanians. I think God will move us forward,” he said in a message to public officials on May 1. .
Mbowe said Wednesday that Magufuli was in a “state of denial.”
Another official, the district commissioner for the Mtwara region in southeastern Tanzania, died Sunday, of what the government referred to in a statement as “respiratory challenge.”
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