News Details

Ni jinsi gani kama Taifa tunanufaika na utalii na mali asili yetu. Wananchi walisema kuwa maliasili imegeuka kuwa laana badala ya Baraka kwa Taifa. Kwa  sababu watu wanaoishi katika maeneo ya hifadhi wameonekana kukumbwa na matatizo mengi. Mfano Mwaka 2000 ambapo  wananchi wanaoishi katika vijiji saba waliambiwa wahame kwa kuambiwa kuwa sehemu waliyokuwa wakiishi kuwa ni eneo la hifadhi. Watu waliohamishwa walifungua kesi na mwaka 2009 walishinda kesi lakini pamoja na ushindi wao bado walihamishwa, ardhi yao na mifugo ilichukuliwa, nyumba zao zilichomwa moto na watu wao waliuawa kwa risasi na polisi wa TANAPA. Pamoja na kushinda kesi hawakupewa maeneo mbadala wala fidia. Kwa sasa maeneo yeutu ya hifadhi kama Serengeti hakuna mipaka inayotenganisha sehemu ya hifadhi na sehemu ya adhi ya pamoja. Hii hupelekea watu kupoteza maisha yao nay a mifugo yao wanapokatisha maeneo ya hifadhi bila kujua. Pamoja na uwepo wa sheria inayosema wazi kuwa wananchi wa Tanzania ndio wamiliki pekee wa ardhi na rasilimali zake bado maslahi hayatokani na wananchi kwa sababu sheria hiyo hiyo imetoa mianya kwa Serikali kupitisha mikataba ya maliasili bila taarifa yoyote ile kwa wananchi. Wananchi wanaisihi Serikali kuhusisha wananchi wanaoishi sehemu inayozunguka hifadhi  juu ya mikataba iliyosainiwa ili waweze kunifaika nayo kwa uwazi ila sio kwa kutumia nguvu na mabavu kuondoa wananchi kwenye maeneo yao. Wananchi pia wamepaza sauti juu ya uhitaji wa katiba mpya itakayowawezesha kuamua juu ya maumizi ya maliasili yao na kuwachukulia hatua viongozi ambao watatumia vibaya maliasili hizo kwa manufaa yao wenyewe.

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ENGLISH VERSION

This Maria Space discussion centers on how we benefit from tourism and natural resources. Citizens state natural resources to be a curse instead of a blessing to the nation. A curse in the sense that the people living close to the reserve areas face a lot of problems. Siting a case of 2000 whereby citizens residing in seven villages were told to evict being told that were they resided were conservation areas. The evicted citizens opened a case at the court of law and in 2009 they won the case but regardless of their victory in court they were still evicted, their herds were taken and their houses were burnt and two people were shot dead by the TANAPA police. Together with winning the case they were not given alternative areas to live nor compensated. At Serengeti there is no clear demarcation showing boundaries of the common land from the conserved area hence people and herds crossing over to the conserved areas are innocently shot. Together with the presence of a law that clearly states that the people are the sole owners of land and its resources, the interest does not base on the people because the same law has provided a loophole which allows the government to sign contracts without informing its citizens. The citizens are arguing the government to inform the citizens living across the reserved areas on the contracts that are being signed so that they can benefit from any dividends or compensation  openly but not using force to evict but also citizens are calling out for a new constitution that will enable and empower them to decide on the use of their natural resources and empower them to hold accountable leaders who misuse the natural resources for their own gains and not that of the people. 

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