Tanzania: Opposition Party Member Who Went Missing Found Dead
Mwanza — Police in Mwanza are investigating circumstances that led to the death of a member of the opposition Chadema, Erasto Makaranga.
Erasto Makaranga, who was the opposition party’s publicity secretary for Buswelu ward, went missing on November 17, 2021.
His colleagues in the party, friends and family members went on searching for his whereabouts for four days until on Saturday, November 20, 2021 when they came to discover that he had passed on and that his remains were being kept at a mortuary at the Sekou Toure Regional Referral Hospital.
The Mwanza Regional Police Commander, Mr Ramadhani Ng’anzi, told The Citizen on Monday that detectives had already been deployed at Buswelu in an effort to find out what actually happened.
Some more detectives, he said, had been deployed to Sekou Toure Hospital for a thorough autopsy.
“Our officers are still at the scene collecting evidence for further investigations. I urge the public to remain calm as we investigate the cause of the death and the findings will be revealed to the public,” he said.
Earlier, the family spokesperson, Benjamin Makaranga said the family had planned to lay the body of Erasto Makaranga to rest on Monday, 22 November 2021.
However, an attempt to collect the body for burial hit the snag after police officers arrived at Sekou Toure to conduct an autopsy.
“We arrived this morning at the region’s referral hospital but we have been stopped by officers who say they want to conduct a post-mortem before allowing us to take it for burial,” said Mr Benjamin, who is the elder brother of the deceased.
According to the deceased’s sister, Macrina Makaranga, as soon as they had discovered that one of them was missing, they reported to a police post at Nyakato.
With several days passing without receiving any help from the law enforcers, the family decided to start searching in hospitals whereby they went to Bugando Referral Hospital before going to Sekou Toure where they found his body.
“His body looked to have been injured in some parts including in the head and his left hand,” Ms Macrina said.
By Citizen.
