It’s up to you, JPM tells deportees

• Gives the ministry 7 days to allocate part of Ngaka coal mine to Dangote Cement

PRESIDENT John Magufuli yesterday supported the expulsion of illegal immigrants from Mozambique, disapproving any assistance extended to the deportees.

Dr Magufuli distanced his government from the plight of Tanzanians opting to move overseas unlawfully, saying, "If you used ‘panya’ routes to enter into other people's country, you better explore the ‘paka’ (cat) roots to leave it."

The head of state maintained that it was high time Tanzanians developed a culture of adhering to the laws of the country, insisting that the government will never foot any transport bill for deportees because they sneaked out of the country illegally and without asking for transport.

Speaking at Mtwara’s Mashujaa grounds here on the last leg of his working tour of Coast, Lindi and Mtwara regions, Dr Magufuli said Tanzania and Mozambique have been good friends for many years, noting that the ongoing crackdown on illegal immigrants cannot spoil the good diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Last month, the government of Mozambique embarked on a special operation to flush out undocumented immigrants, among them Tanzanians who claimed to have been tortured by the Mozambican security machineries.

But Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation Minister, Dr Augustine Mahiga, came out strongly last month, denying reports of torture and excessive use of forces by security forces in Mozambique against Tanzanian deportees.

"In any operation, there are always such complaints where some security personnel can sometimes push a person or do anything in the course of discharging their duties,” Dr Mahiga was quoted as saying, adding that the state had been closely monitoring  the situation.

The minister insisted that immigration officers in Mtwara Region were subjecting the travel documents of the deportees to rigorous vetting to ensure non-Tanzanians are not using the loophole to sneak into the country illegally.

At the public rally yesterday, Dr Magufuli confirmed that the immigration department had found out that some of the deportees were not Tanzanians, but citizens of the neighbouring countries capitalising on the opportunity to enter the country.

President Magufuli commended Mozambique for the crackdown against people staying in the country without the requisite documents, reminding Tanzanians that similar operations had been carried out in the country to kick out illegal immigrants.

He said his government will never send any vehicle to Mozambique to bring back to the country any person who entered illegally, saying Mozambique and Tanzania remain good friends, with the Southern neighbour helping the people of Uganda to get rid of Idd Amin Dada’s dictatorial regime.

“If they (immigrants) did not ask for any assistance when they were leaving the country illegally, we are under no obligation to send them vehicles now that they are coming back,” Dr Magufuli said, adding: ‘Message sent and delivered.’’

At Dangote Cement Company, Dr Magufuli issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Ministry of Energy and Minerals to allocate part of the Ngaka coal mine in Mbinga District to the investor in support of production of affordable cement at Mtwara-based cement plant.

He issued the directive during his tour of the factory before officially launching the 580 vehicles for transportation of cement to various parts of the country.

He was flanked by the Minister for Energy and Minerals, Prof Sospeter Muhongo, Minister for Finance and Planning, Dr Philip Mpango and Alhaj Aliko Dangote, the owner of the factory.

“I believe that with all these vehicles, 580 Tanzanians will get jobs as drivers,’’ he insisted at the Mashujaa grounds here.

President Magufuli also directed the ministry to ensure that the factory gets enough supply of gas to reduce the scarcity of coal that has been derailing the production of cement at the factory, advising the factory management to directly deal with the government instead of using agents who merely increase production costs.

Source: TSN MEDIA