EDITORIAL: Tanzania fast becoming an uninvestable basket case
Tanzania’s fabric is unravelling, and any SA business there needs to reconsider with whom it chooses to consort
Tanzania is well on its way to becoming an uninvestable basket case, with scant regard for the sort of values enshrined in SA’s constitution. The rest of the world is noticing too. As The Economist put it this month, under President John Magufuli Tanzania is "on the descent from patchy democracy towards slapdash dictatorship". Last week, former the Mail & Guardian editor Angela Quintal (now with the Committee to Protect Journalists) was detained by Tanzanian police, who then sent out a message in her name falsely claiming she’d been released. Quintal was later set free. But our minister of international relations & co-operation, Lindiwe Sisulu, claimed Quintal’s team hadn’t "familiarised" themselves with Tanzania’s laws — a worrying statement. But this isn’t the only disturbing incident. There has been talk by Tanzanian officials of setting up "surveillance squads" to trace incidents of homosexuality. There is also a willingness to throw opposition MPs into prison for treason and ja...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.