Dar es Salaam. Police in Zanzibar’s Mjini Magharibi region arrested 12 individuals for eating and drinking in public during the daytime in the month of Ramadhan, a time of fasting for Muslims.
Zanzibar, with a predominantly Muslim population, enforces regulations based on Islamic principles during Ramadhan for both locals and visitors.
The Acting Regional Police Commander, Abubakar Khamis Ally, mentioned that the arrests were made after an investigation prompted by a circulated video showing people eating during daylight hours in Mnazi Mmoja Square, violating the fasting norms of Ramadhan.
Eating in public during daylight hours in Ramadhan is considered an offense, leading to the individuals being held at Madema police station pending completion of investigation procedures, after which they will face court proceedings.
However, the police chief warned that the police force will continue to arrest anyone found eating publicly during the daytime in this holy month of Ramadhan.
ACP Ally was quoted saying, “During this month of Ramadhan, as per the customs of this island, even food establishments are closed. Therefore, it is not appropriate for individuals to sit in public places and eat openly; this is an offense, and that’s why we are arresting them and will continue to do so because it causes inconvenience to others.”
The 12 people who have been arrested for this offense of eating publicly during daytime are Issa Hamad Juma (40) from Kikwajuni, Hamad Hamis Indole (25) from Mtwara, Hashimu Bakari Nassoro (35) from Kwarara; and Selemani Ismail Nalinga (34) from Magogoni, among others.
All these individuals are currently under custody at Madema Police Station, and investigation procedures are ongoing to prepare them for court proceedings.
Meanwhile, the Zanzibar Tourism Commission, in its public statement, has announced that it has fined the company Organisateur Francophone Tours and Travel a fine of $500 for violating the Commission’s guidelines and allowing tourists to eat in public during this holy month of Ramadhan.
The official statement from the Commission outlined the following: “Despite issuing guidelines and directives for tourism businesses to follow, the company allowed guests to eat in public. Therefore, the Commission has taken the following actions: imposed a fine of $500 and immediately suspended the tour guide of the company, Khamis M. Kahogo, from conducting any tourism activities for three months.”
“The Zanzibar Tourism Commission emphasizes the importance of respecting the customs and traditions of the islands of Zanzibar, especially during the Ramadhan period, to promote good relations with the surrounding communities,” the statement further elaborated
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Tanzania Declares End of Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak
Tanzania today declared the end of Marburg virus disease outbreak after recording no new cases over 42 days since the death of the last confirmed case on 28 January 2025.
The outbreak, in which two confirmed and eight probable cases were recorded (all deceased), was the second the country has experienced. Both this outbreak, which was declared on 20 January 2025, and the one in 2023 occurred in the north-eastern Kagera region.
In response to the latest outbreak, Tanzania’s health authorities set up coordination and response systems, with support from World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, at the national and regional levels and reinforced control measures to swiftly detect cases, enhance clinical care, infection prevention as well as strengthen collaboration with communities to raise awareness and help curb further spread of the virus.
Growing expertise in public health emergency response in the African region has been crucial in mounting effective outbreak control measures. Drawing on experience from the response to the 2023 Marburg virus disease outbreak, WHO worked closely with Tanzanian health authorities to rapidly scale up key measures such as disease surveillance and trained more than 1000 frontline health workers in contact tracing, clinical care and public health risk communication. The Organization also delivered over five tonnes of essential medical supplies and equipment.
“The dedication of frontline health workers and the efforts of the national authorities and our partners have paid off,” said Dr Charles Sagoe-Moses, WHO Representative in Tanzania. “While the outbreak has been declared over, we remain vigilant to respond swiftly if any cases are detected and are supporting ongoing efforts to provide psychosocial care to families affected by the outbreak.”
Building on the momentum during the acute phase of the outbreak response, measures have been put in place to reinforce the capacity of local health facilities to respond to potential future outbreaks. WHO and partners are procuring additional laboratory supplies and other equipment for disease detection and surveillance and other critical services.
Marburg virus disease is highly virulent and causes haemorrhagic fever. It belongs to the same family as the virus that causes Ebola virus disease. Illness caused by Marburg virus begins abruptly. Patients present with high fever, severe headache and severe malaise. They may develop severe haemorrhagic symptoms within seven days.
In the African region, previous outbreaks and sporadic cases have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.
Source: allafrica.com
