Chadema
Secretary General Willibrod Slaa
Dar es Salaam. For the third time, Chadema
Secretary General Willibrod Slaa has been absent at a landmark event to
welcome Mr Edward Lowassa to the opposition. His conspicuous absence at
high profile functions has set off speculation about his status in the
party after an announcement that Mr Lowassa was likely to take up Dr
Slaa’s ticket for the presidency.
Mr Slaa’s last
appearance in public took the form of leaked photos showing members of
his party’s Central Committee meeting with Mr Lowassa on Sunday night at
Bahari Beach Hotel in Dar es Salaam. His mobile phone number, which has
been readily available to the media, has been switched off since. His
absence in public and on social media, combined with the switched-off
mobile phone, have collectively fuelled suspicion that something is not
right.
Chadema officials have since downplayed his
no-show as rival groups on social media taunt each other over his
condition and the fate of his political career within Chadema and the
opposition in general. Some have even concluded that the
priest-turned-politician is calling it quits. But there is little to go
by, thanks to his silence.
At a highly publicised event
to welcome Mr Lowassa on Wednesday, Chadema Chairman Freeman Mbowe did
not disclose the party secretary-general’s whereabouts. Neither did he
offer a reason as to why the latter had skipped key functions since Mr
Lowassa’s grand arrival.
A local daily newspaper
yesterday claimed to have spoken to him on the phone over widespread
speculation that he was under pressure to withdraw from Chadema due to
family matters. But the Citizen’s efforts to trace his whereabouts hit a
snag as his mobile number--which is known to the media--went
unanswered. Chadema party officials remained tight-lipped.
On
Thursday afternoon, a team of reporters camped at his house but the the
guard would not let them past the main gate in Mbweni, Kinondoni.
The
guard told reporters that Dr Slaa and his wife had left at mid-day for
an unknown destination. His mobile phone remained unanswered and he did
not respond to text messages.
The guard told a team of
journalists that most of those who had gone to speak to him yesterday
before he left his house were not allowed in. “Some even left memos but
Doctor did not reply to any of them before he left,” he added. When the
reporters insisted on speaking to Dr Slaa and asked if he could help
out, the guard resorted to contradictory statements. At one point, he
said Dr Slaa had not been in a position to speak with anyone since “this
whole conflict started”.
When pushed, he brushed aside
the question and said he was not ready to lose his job. He then closed
the main gate, leaving reporters wandering outside. A small car was
parked inside and the guard said it belonged to Dr Slaa’s wife. He had
earlier used the presence of the car as evidence that Dr Slaa was not
inside the house, saying: “You see, even his car is not here. That’s his
wife’s car. He has left the house.” At around 5pm in the evening, a car
bearing the Chadema flag appeared in the neighbourhood and The Citizen
made efforts to speak with some party members. Ms Halima Mdee, who is
the outgoing MP for Kawe constituency, jokingly told this reporter that
Dr Slaa was on his “honeymoon”.
She added: “Ukawa will
take over the government in the coming election. Dr Slaa has done his
job in the party already. Let him rest. I am sure he is safe.”
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