Manchester City won a chaotic derby at Etihad Stadium

Man City 1

Agüero 63′

Man Utd 0

• FT 90 +6
• HT 0-0

By Phil McNulty Chief football writer at Etihad Stadium

• Man City record first win in four games
• United's Smalling sent off in first half
• Aguero scores 11th goal in 12 league games

Manchester City won a chaotic derby at Etihad Stadium as Sergio Aguero's second-half strike gave the Premier League champions victory over Manchester United.

Aguero's 10th Premier League goal of the season finally breached a depleted United defence after Chris Smalling had been sent off in the first half and Marcos Rojo taken off on a stretcher after the break with shoulder damage.
It also brought a shaft of light to a disappointing week that had seen manager Manuel Pellegrini's side lose at West Ham in the league then see their Capital One Cup defence ended at home by Newcastle.

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Man City 1-0 Man Utd: Pellegrini says penalty decisions were 'clear'

In a game that was played on the edge of ill-discipline and often strayed into it, Aguero's goal will have felt like vindication to City and their fans, infuriated at seeing a succession of presentable penalty appeals rejected by referee Michael Oliver.
Most significantly, it kept leaders Chelsea in the champions' sights, albeit with a six-point advantage and four ahead of second-placed Southampton.
This was a compelling derby, the first for new United manager Louis van Gaal, who saw his defence stripped bare and the attacking riches of Angel Di Maria, Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney - returning from suspension - fail to fire.
The Dutchman will be furious at the unnecessary way in which Smalling was dismissed, while the hosts will be happy their mini-slump was ended by a sixth win in the last seven Manchester derbies in the Premier League.
Nerves and tempers were frayed towards the end as United mounted a recovery of sorts and while this was not the sort of display to have Jose Mourinho and Chelsea looking anxiously over their shoulders, victory was all that mattered to City after recent mishaps.

Former Wales international Robbie Savage:
"Manchester United are level on points with West Brom. Don't get me wrong, I think Alan Irvine is doing a great job there, but United have spent £150m on new players and that is unacceptable. When are we going to start asking serious questions of Louis van Gaal in press conferences because I haven't heard it yet."

Such was the combustible nature of the first half, with quality at a premium, that it was inevitable players from both sides would be running the risk of a red card.
Rooney harangued referee Oliver to demand a booking for Pablo Zabaleta while England keeper Joe Hart was right in the official's face when Daley Blind kicked the ball away having already been booked.
Amid the mayhem, United keeper David de Gea demonstrated his growing stature with a superb reflex save from Jesus Navas before diving bravely at the feet of Aguero, both players collecting an injury in the process.
When the red card came, it was in the most irresponsible manner imaginable. Smalling had been needlessly booked for charging down Hart's clearance then launched himself at James Milner in a manner that was only going to end one way.

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Man City 1-0 Man Utd: Smalling's second yellow stupid - Van Gaal

The centre-half was studiously ignored by United's management team as he made his way off, Michael Carrick replacing Adnan Januzaj as Van Gaal was forced into a defensive redesign.
Temperatures were rising on and off the pitch as referee Oliver refused to answer several home demands for penalties, particularly when Fellaini clashed with Aguero before half-time and again after the interval when he attempted to dart between the Belgian and Carrick in the area.
United's defensive resources were further reduced when Rojo was taken off on a stretcher after damaging his shoulder diving into a challenge on Martin Demichelis. Teenager Paddy McNair came into a makeshift rearguard.
It was impossible to see the visitors keeping City out - and they did not. The breakthrough came after 62 minutes when Yaya Toure's pass cleared space on the left flank for Gael Clichy, whose cross was met expertly by Aguero, pulling away from defenders to flash a powerful finish high past De Gea.
Navas struck a post as City tried to confirm their advantage but suddenly, against all odds, United became a threat as Hart saved from Van Persie and Di Maria, while Fellaini headed hopelessly wide from eight yards.
Five minutes of stoppage time had the nerves jangling around the Etihad, but City closed out a crucial win.

Manchester United have recorded just two clean sheets all season

No Premier League team has had more players sent off than Manchester United in 2014 (5)

Marcos Rojo was injured for Manchester United, meaning the away side finished the game with a completely different pairing in the centre of defence

Sergio Aguero has scored 11 goals in his last 12 Premier League appearances

Man City have won the last four Manchester derbies in the Premier League - the first time they have won four in a row in the league since 1970

Lineup, Bookings (6) & Substitutions (6)

Manchester City

• 01 Hart
• 05 Zabaleta Booked
• 04 Kompany
• 26 Demichelis Booked
• 22 Clichy
• 15 Jesús Navas
• 42 Y Touré
• 06 Fernando Booked
• 07 Milner (Nasri - 70' )
• 16 Agüero (Fernandinho - 84' )
• 35 Jovetic (Dzeko - 71' )

Substitutes

• 03 Sagna
• 08 Nasri
• 10 Dzeko
• 12 Sinclair
• 13 Caballero
• 25 Fernandinho
• 38 Boyata

Manchester United

• 01 de Gea
• 25 A Valencia
• 12 Smalling Dismissed after an earlier booking
• 05 Rojo (McNair - 56' )
• 03 Shaw
• 17 Blind Booked
• 11 Januzaj (Carrick - 43' )
• 31 Fellaini
• 10 Rooney
• 07 Di María
• 20 van Persie (Wilson - 82' )

Substitutes

• 08 Mata
• 13 Lindegaard
• 16 Carrick
• 21 Herrera
• 24 Fletcher
• 33 McNair
• 49 Wilson

Ref: Michael Oliver

Att: 45,358

Match Stats

Shots

                                     16                                         9

On target

                                       6                                         2

Corners

                                        7                                        4

Fouls

                                      15                                       9

Live Text Commentary

Full time

Full Time Match ends, Manchester City 1, Manchester United 0.

90:00 +5:13 Full time

Full Time Second Half ends, Manchester City 1, Manchester United 0.

90:00 +2:37 Offside, Manchester United. Daley Blind tries a through ball, but Marouane Fellaini is caught offside.
90:00 +2:19 Foul by Vincent Kompany (Manchester City).
90:00 +2:19 Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
90:00 +1:20 Corner, Manchester United. Conceded by Gaël Clichy.
90:00 +0:57 Corner, Manchester United. Conceded by Vincent Kompany.
90:00 +0:22 Attempt missed. Yaya Touré (Manchester City) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Fernandinho with a cross following a corner.
89:51 Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Luke Shaw.
88:42 Attempt missed. Yaya Touré (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Fernandinho.
86:29 Delay over. They are ready to continue.
85:57 Delay in match Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) because of an injury.
85:25 Attempt blocked. Ángel Di María (Manchester United) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Wayne Rooney.
84:29 Attempt missed. Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Ángel Di María with a cross following a corner.
84:05 Corner, Manchester United. Conceded by Vincent Kompany.
83:23 Hand ball by Fernandinho (Manchester City).
83:05 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Manchester City. Fernandinho replaces Sergio Agüero.

81:19 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Manchester United. James Wilson replaces Robin van Persie.

80:57 Foul by Samir Nasri (Manchester City).
80:57 Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United) wins a free kick on the right wing.

Missing children found dead, burnt

By  Beldina Nyakeke,The Citizen Correspondent

In Summary

• Before their deaths the children were reported lost last Saturday when they went to graze their goats and did not come back home in the evening
• VILLAGERS REACT TO THE KILLINGS: Residents saythey now fear for their children’s lives since they might be killed or get lost in mysterious circumstances whereby they asked responsible authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to identify those who were involved in the incident. Mr Jomo Kananda called on the responsible  authorities to conduct a manhunt and take immediate measures  to arrest the killers to help  identify the motive behind the killings.

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Musoma. Two children from the same family were found dead with their bodies bearing wounds that looked like they were scalded with hot water at Kwangwa in Musoma Municipality.

Before their deaths the children were reported lost last Saturday  when they went to graze their goats and did not come back home in the evening.

Speaking to The Citizen at the Musoma Central Police Station the father of the children, Mr Samson Nyaganya, named the deceased as Emmanuel Samson, 7, and Happy Samson, 8. The father explained that on Saturday his children left home at noon as usual to graze their goats and did not come back home in the evening. Instead, the goats came back home without their shepherds.

He said that the situation created fear among the family members who went on the search for the children without success, before reporting the matter the following day to the village leaders.

“I went to report the incident to Kyagangala street government officials, where the authority also informed the community about what had happened. We started searching for my kids for more that two days without success,” he explained amid tears.   

He narrated that the authority in collaboration with the family and community members started searching for the missing children before they found their bodies lying near a pond at a rice field.

He added that the bodies of the deceased were found yesterday around 8.30 am after a long search. Police were investigating the matter, with several people said to have been interrogated.

Mr Nyaganya also added that the bodies of the youngsters were found with wounds on their private parts, a situation  that showed that the killers left with some portions  of their body parts. He said that the search party found the children’s clothes and slippers beside their bodies.

The distraught father said that though the bodies were found near the pond it seemed that the youngsters were killed before their bodies were taken to the scene since the pond could not be used for swimmin because it was too small.  Speaking to The Citizen, some residents of Kwangwa area said the incident has created fear amongst them with many of them not knowing the motive behind the killings.

They said that they now fear  of their children’s lives since they might be killed or got lost in undefined circumstance whereby they asked responsible authorities to conduct a thorough investigation so that they can identify those who involve in the incident.

Mr Jomo Kananda said that it was better for the responsible   authorities to conduct a mana hunt hence took immediate measures so that to arrest the killers the situation that will help to  identify the motive behind the killings.

Make 18 legal age to marry: activists

 

By Songa wa Songa The Citizen Reporter

In Summary

The marriage Act 1971 sets the minimum age at 18 for boys and 15 for girls with parental consent but also permits both boys and girls to marry at 14 with the court’s permission.

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Dar es Salaam.With four out of 10 girls married before the age of 18, Tanzania should protect its young population by setting 18, the internationally recognised age of majority, as the minimum age for marriage.

In its new report entitled ‘No Way Out: Child Marriage and Human Rights Abuses in Tanzania’ launched in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has found that the practice severely curtails girls’ access to education and exposes them to exploitation and violence, including marital rape and female genital mutilation.

The study conducted in 12 districts interviewed 135 girls and women, and identified dowry, child labour-related abuses, adolescent pregnancy, child abuse and neglect,as well as limited access to education as major contributing factors.

Releasing the findings, research fellow at HRW and author of the report Ms Brenda Akia said it was unfortunate that the proposed constitution did not provide minimum age for marriage.

“The Tanzanian government should show leadership on child protection by making 18 the minimum age in the marriage Act,” she said.

The marriage Act 1971 sets the minimum age at 18 for boys and 15 for girls with parental consent but also permits both boys and girls to marry at 14 with the court’s permission. HRW recommends that the limit be set at 18 for both boys and girls without loopholes to permit underage nuptials.

Speaking at the event, British High Commissioner Dianna Melrose expressed disappointment at Tanzania’s hesitation to sign Girl Summit Charter—the joint initiative by the UK government and Unicef aimed at mobilising domestic and international efforts to end female genital mutilation (FGM) and child, early and forced marriage (CEFM) within a generation.

“We are very disappointed that the government of Tanzania has not signed yet,” she said and added: “Now is the time to act.”

Ms Catherine Revocatus from Shinyanga who fell pregnant at the age of 14 and got expelled from primary school in her final year, brought the audience to tears with the narration of how she suffered physical and emotional abuses after getting married thereafter to the man who impregnated her.

“I got pregnant with my second child when I was 16 but I couldn’t stand the abuses; I ran away from the village and went to Shinyanga town where I worked as a domestic worker,” she said.

Burkina Faso president declares state of emergency

Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore has imposed a state of emergency after violent protests at his bid to extend his 27-year rule.

The government and parliament have been dissolved, and an overnight curfew has been declared across the country.
Protests to demand Mr Compaore's resignation are continuing in the capital, Ouagadougou.
Angry crowds had earlier set fire to the parliament and other government buildings.
This forced MPs to abandon a vote aimed at allowing Mr Compaore to seek re-election in 2015.
'Barbaric escalation' The main opposition leader, Zephirin Diabre, told a local radio station that the state of emergency was unacceptable.
"We are calling on the people to show that they are against it. The resignation of President Blaise Compaore is the only thing that can bring peace to the country," he is quoted as saying.
At least one person has been killed in the protests, says BBC Afrique's Yacouba Ouedraogo in the capital.

Parliament was ransacked and set ablaze

Cars were also in flames

The defence forces have been trying to disperse the protesters

Mr Diabre said dozens of protesters had been killed across the country by the security forces.
It was a "barbaric escalation of violence", he said.
The military fired live bullets to try and disperse protesters who had occupied parliament, our correspondent says.
Protesters had also surged towards the presidential palace, and a government helicopter flying overhead fired tear gas at them, Reuters news agency reports.

The BBC's Laeila Adjovi: "All around me there's black smoke"

Witnesses say dozens of soldiers have joined the protest in Ouagadougou's main square, including a former defence minister, Gen Kouame Lougue.
Protesters are demanding his installation as president, our reporter says.
'TV off air' The city hall, the homes of MPs, and an upmarket hotel in Ouagadougou were also set ablaze.
Similar protests hit the south-western city of Bobo Dioulasso, and other towns in the poor West African state.

President Blaise Compaore spoke to the BBC earlier this week

• Served under President Thomas Sankara as minister of state to the presidency
• Took power after Sankara was killed in mysterious circumstances by a group of soldiers in 1987
• First elected president in 1991 and again in 1998
• A new constitution in 2000 limited presidents to two terms in office, and limited terms to five years
• Won two further terms
• Protests at attempts to amend the term limits began a year ago, fuelled by the high cost of living

State television went off air after protesters stormed the building housing it and ransacked it.
This is one of the most serious protests against Mr Compaore's rule.
"A state of emergency is declared across the national territory. The chief of the armed forces is in charge of implementing this decision which enters into effect today," the president's statement said, Reuters reports.
"I dissolve the government from today so as to create conditions for change. I'm calling on the leaders of the political opposition to put an end to the protests. I'm pledging from today to open talks with all the actors to end the crisis," it added.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon's special envoy for West Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, will fly to Burkina Faso on Friday in an attempt to ease the crisis, the UN said in a statement.
Mr Compaore first took power in a coup in 1987, and has won four disputed elections since then.
The protests forced the government to suspend Thursday's parliamentary vote on a constitutional amendment that would have lifted the limit on presidential terms so that Mr Compaore could run for office again in 2015.
Mr Compaore is a staunch ally of the US and France, which uses Burkina Faso as a base for military operations against militant Islamists in the Sahel region.

Senzo Meyiwa shooting: Suspect images released

 

The two intruders demanded mobile phones and valuables

South African police have released composite images of two men suspected of killing national football captain Senzo Meyiwa.

Meyiwa, 27, was reportedly shot on Sunday after burglars entered his girlfriend's house.
Police have offered a reward of 250,000 rand (£14,000; $23,000) for information about the attack.
Meyiwa's death has once again highlighted the high rates of violent crime in South Africa.
Intruders entered the house in Vosloorus, south of Johannesburg, at around 20:00 (18:00 GMT) on Sunday.
Before releasing the pictures, police had described two of the suspects: one said to be tall, dark-skinned and slender with dreadlocks; the other was said to be short, dark-skinned and well-built.
The men demanded mobile phones and valuables while a third man remained outside.
National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega told a press conference that Meyiwa was then shot once in the upper body as he moved towards the door. The three men then fled.
The footballer was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. His funeral is expected to take place on Saturday.

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How violent is South Africa?

South Africa's president, Jacob Zuma, has led tributes to the football captain.
"We mourn the death of this young footballer and team leader whose life has been taken away at the prime of his career," Mr Zuma said.
Team-mates have also expressed their grief.
South Africa midfielder Dean Furman told the BBC Meyiwa was "just the nicest guy you could wish to meet".
His killing has sparked outrage about crime in South Africa.
The shock was summed up by Senzo Meyiwa's team-mate Tsepo Masilela, who tweeted: "How do you kill someone for a cellphone?"
Between April 2013 and March 2014, more than 17,000 people were murdered in South Africa, an increase of about 5% over the previous year, according to police figures.
However, overall murder rates are lower than during the high points of the apartheid years.

Zambian President Sata death: White interim leader appointed

 

 It is unclear if Guy Scott will be able to run for president because he is not a third generation Zambian

Zambian Vice-President Guy Scott has been named acting leader following the death of President Michael Sata.

Presidential elections to choose a permanent successor will be held within 90 days, Defence Minister Edgar Lungu said.
Mr Scott, who is of Scottish descent, becomes Africa's first white head of state for many years.
Mr Sata died in the UK aged 77 after receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness.

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A look back at Zambian President Michael Sata's life

He was being treated at London's King Edward VII hospital where he died on Tuesday night.
'Beloved comrade' Mr Scott regularly stood in for the president at official events, but was never appointed acting president when Mr Sata was abroad - so this is his first time to officially lead the country.

Guy Scott

• Often disparagingly referred to as the "ceremonial vice-president"
• He was born in 1944 in what was then Northern Rhodesia after father emigrated from Glasgow to work as a doctor on the railways
• A Cambridge-trained economist, he entered politics in 1990 joining the MMD which won the first multiparty elections the next year
• As agricultural minister he oversaw the recovery from a devastating drought in 1992/93
• He joined Michael Sata's Patriotic Front (PF) in 2001
• Appointed vice-president in September 2011 after the PF's election victory
• As his parents were not born in Zambia, a constitutional clause requiring the president to be a "third generation" Zambian may nullify any attempt to run for president

In a brief televised address Mr Scott confirmed his appointment.
"The period of national mourning will start today. We will miss our beloved president and comrade," Reuters news agency quotes him as saying.
The president's death comes just days after Zambia celebrated the 50th anniversary of independence from the UK.
Cabinet secretary Roland Msiska said on national TV that President Sata's wife and son were at his bedside.

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Michael Sata is the second of Zambia's five presidents to die in office

He is the second Zambian leader to die in office after Levy Mwanawasa in 2008.
Earlier this month reports in Zambia said that President Sata had gone abroad for a medical check-up amid persistent speculation that he was seriously ill.

Obituary: Penny Dale, BBC's former Zambia correspondent

 

 Mr Sata was known as "King Cobra" for his tough style of public speaking

Gravelly-voiced as a result of years of chain-smoking, Michael Sata rose to political prominence in the 1980s. He quickly earned a reputation as the hardest-working governor while in charge of Lusaka and as a populist man of action. But he was also known for his authoritarian tendencies, an abrasive manner and a sharp tongue - and his critics say his nickname of "King Cobra" was well-deserved.
A devout Catholic, Mr Sata had worked as a police officer, railway man and trade unionist during colonial rule. After independence, he also spent time in London, working as a railway porter, and, back in Zambia, with a taxidermist company.
At the fourth attempt, Mr Sata won presidential elections in 2011. At first he looked as if he would keep promises to tackle corruption and create jobs and prosperity. But his term in office was marred by a crackdown on political opposition and a decline in the economy.

He had rarely been seen in public since returning from the UN General Assembly last month, where he failed to make a scheduled speech.
After he left the country, Defence Minister Edgar Lungu was named as acting president.
Mr Scott is of Scottish descent and his parents were not born in Zambia, so he may not be able to run for president in January because of a constitutional clause.

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LAKE ZONE: Chadema gives party officials new motorbikes

By  Florence Focus,The Citizen Correspondent

• Speaking shortly after handing the bikes to the beneficiaries, the Chadema Mara regional secretary, Mr Chacha Heche, told them that the bikes  should act as a motivational factor for working hard in the upcoming elections.

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MUSOMA.The main opposition party, Chadema, has provided eight motorbikes, worth Sh16 million to secretaries of all constituencies in Mara Region to facilitate their transport when coordinating party activities.

Speaking shortly after handing the bikes to the beneficiaries, the Chadema Mara regional secretary, Mr Chacha Heche, told them that the bikes  should act as a motivational factor for working hard in the upcoming elections.

He said more efforts were needed for the party to grab victory.

The regional leader said the motorcycles had been bought from the subsidy obtained from the government, saying leaders from other regions will also be given the facilities.

 “More efforts are required to achieve our ultimate goal of removing the ruling CCM from power…we want to ensure that Tanzanians get true peace not mere words,” noted Mr Heche.

Musoma Urban secretary for Chadema, Mr Hamisi Tumbo, commended the act, saying the bikes would be used as weapons against their opponents in the forthcoming elections.

“To start with the coming civic elections at the end of this year, I will ensure that my party gains a landslide victory,” said Mr Tumbo.

Ukawa sign MoU to field one candidate against CCM

Opposition leaders, from left, James Mbatia (NCCR-Mageuzi), Prof Ibrahim Lipumba (CUF), Freeman Mbowe (Chadema) and Emmanuel Makaidi (NLD) sign the MoU to bind their parties in unity for the Katiba “No” campaign and the 2015 General Election, at Jangwani grounds in Dar es Salaam yesterday.  PHOTO | RAFAEL LUBAVA 

By Songa wa Songa,The Citizen Reporter

In Summary

• Ukawa move for unity is reminiscent of their Kenyan Opposition counterparts whose ‘Rainbow Coalition” endorsed a single presidential candidate who defeated Daniel Arap Moi’s Kanu candidate Uhuru in 2002.
• Four opposition parties—Chadema, CUF, NCCR-Mageuzi and NLD— signed a pact to field one candidate in all levels, in a bid to “unseat CCM” in next year’s polls.

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Dar es Salaam. It is now official. The political marriage that was triggered by Opposition’s  rejection of the constitution making process was yesterday formalised after four parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), to field and support one candidate at all levels including the presidency in 2015 General Election.

 The move, similar to what transpired in Kenya in 2002 during the famous Rainbow Coalition, which brought the “Kibaki Tosha” project, is aimed at defeating the ruling CCM.

In Kenya, alarmed by the draconian and corrupt regime, the Opposition united in July 2002 to support one candidate for the presidency, a move that finally led to the defeat of Daniel arap Moi-supported “project”, Uhuru Kenyatta, ruling Kanu’s flag bearer in the race to Ikulu.

Some analysts say the opposition unity also expect to get a boost next year, should top leaders within the ruling party defect, in a protest of presidential  candidate nomination process, scheduled in May, 2015.

 There are unconfirmed reports that some top CCM leaders plan to abandon the party, if the nomination process would be seen as rigged in favour of a candidate who is believed to enjoy the backing of current administration.

  In Dar es Salaam, yesterday, four opposition parties—Chadema, CUF, NCCR-Mageuzi and NLD— signed a pact to field one candidate in all levels, in a bid to “unseat CCM” in next year’s polls.

The MoU was signed publicly by chairpersons and secretaries-general of the parties that are members of the Coalition of Defenders of People’s Constitution (Ukawa) during a mammoth rally held at the Jangwani grounds.

The pact contains seven key areas of action before civic election slated for December and General Election next year. These are:  are harmonisation of parties’ policies with the view to find common ground as Ukawa; field one candidate in all levels; mode of cooperation to be formulated and circulated to leaders of the parties; a joint ‘No Campaign’ against the referendum; create common front with issues of national interest and to defend the union and to work with like-minded groups.

Two messages dominated speeches by leaders of the parties who, one after another, took the podium to address the gathering: The key message was: no vote to the April 2015 referendum on the proposed new constitution and onslaught on CCM for “sabotaging   the peoples’ will” expressed in the Warioba Draft.”

CUF secretary-general and first Zanzibar Vice President Mr Seif Sharrif Hamad accused CCM of rigging the vote that passed the proposed new Katiba in the national assembly, asserting that the “Yes” won the two-third majority dubiously.

“Our own audit revealed that there was a dirty game; they didn’t get the two-third fairly.” He said and announced: “We are now waiting for them in the referendum and I urge to vote no.”

He went on to say that for Zanzibaris, the verdict is clear in the coming referendum; no, and urged what he called Tanganyikans to let the country down by passing “Chenge and Sitta’s constitution”.

The party’s chairman Prof Ibrahim Lipumba termed the coming together of the four parties which is reminiscent of the formation of Kenya’s ODM which transformed from no campaign for the proposed Katiba, as the beginning of the end of the road for CCM.

“The phantom of CCM is beginning to crumble,” announced Prof Lipumba to a thunderous applause.

He said the proposed Mother Law would nurture corruption and added that it should be rejected by Tanzanians during the referendum.

Chadema chair Freeman Mbowe called the unity a God’s plan to liberate Tanzanians from CCM. But warned people over likely moves to sabotage Ukawa, claiming that with the huge step that the coalition took yesterday, there would be efforts from political enemies to undermine it.

The coalition was born out of the constitution-making process. The quest for a new Katiba has been an opposition agenda for two decades. Knowing that the ruling CCM was against the main proposals in the Second Draft Constitution—including the establishment of a federation with three governments—the opposition parties formed a coalition to counter CCM’s dominance.

Yesterday’s agreement becomes Ukawa’s second main act the coalition has managed to pull off so far. The first that sent shockwaves on the political scene was the walkout at the Constituent Assembly back in April on the grounds that it didn’t respect the wishes of Tanzanians that were documented in the Second Draft Constitution. The coalition accused CCM of using the second draft to protect its interests.

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