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The Right to Organise as Mother of All Rights: the Experience of Women in Tanzania

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 November 2008

Extract

The right to organise is of the greatest importance because of our need to come together in order to pursue common interests and goals. It goes hand in hand with the right to associate and to assemble freely, covers all sections of society, and its highest manifestation is normally the creation and continuing significance of political parties, trade unions, and other non-governmental organisations.

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Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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References

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26 Constitution of the Umoja wa Wanawake wa Tanganyika, 1962.Google Scholar

27 The Articles of the Union are reproduced in International Legal Materials (Washington, DC), 3, 1964, pp. 763–9.Google Scholar See also, Lofchie, Michael F., Zanzibar: background to revolution (Princeton, 1965),Google Scholar and Vonhoff, Y., ‘Union Without Unity: the case of Tanganyika and Zanzibar’, Master of Laws dissertation, University of Leiden, 1987.Google Scholar

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29 Constitution of the Jumuiya wa Wanawake wa Tanzania, 1978. For some of the objectives of the UWT,Google Scholar see Wazima, Taasisi ya Elimu ya Watu, Zijue Haki za Wanawake Tanzania (Dar es Salaam, 1984), pp. 22–8,Google Scholar and Situation of Women in Tanzania, pp. 55–9.Google Scholar

30 This was part of the strategy to ensure that the ruling party had total control over all politics in the country. See Msekwa, Pius, Towards Party Supremacy (Arusha, 1977), and the Constitution of Chama Cha Mapinduzi, 1982.Google Scholar

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32 The Marriage, Divorce, and Succession (Non-Christian Asiatics) Ordinance empowered the High Court to apply the laws of the religion of Muslims and Hindus to marriage. Islamic law could also be applied by virtue of Section 14 of the Magistrates' Court Act, 1963, and by Proviso (ii) to Section 9 of the Judicature and Application of Laws Ordinance. It was also recognised in the Mohammedan Estates (Benevolent Payments) Ordinance and the Land (Law of Property and Conveyancing) Ordinance.

33 Section 9 of the Judicature and Application of Laws Ordinance enabled ‘Natives’ to be married and divorced according to their customary rules, subject to the clause that restricted the application of those considered to be repugnant to natural justice or morality. Most of the customary laws relating to marriage and divorce were later unified and codified under the Local Customary (Declaration) Order, 1963. See Rwezaura, B. A., State Law and Customary Law: reflections on their relationship in contemporary Tanzania (Saarbrücken, Europa-Institut der Universität des Saarlandes, 1987).Google Scholar

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35 The 1971 Law of Marriage Act also affected the following Ordinances: Adoption, Cap. 335; District Courts (Separation and Maintenance), Cap. 335; Maintenance Orders (Enforcement), Cap. 275; and Affiliation, Cap. 278.

36 See, for example, the judgement of Chief Justice Hamilton in the Kenyan case of R. vs. Amkeyo, No. 7 of 1917, in East African Law Reports (Nairobi), p. 14,Google Scholar whose decision was in a way supported much later by the reference to African marriage as being simply ‘concubinage’ by the East African Court of Appeal in Abdul Rahman Bin Mohammed and Another vs. R. [1968] E. A. 188. On this,Google Scholarsee Cotran, Eugene, ‘The Changing Nature of African Marriage’, in Anderson, J. N. D. (ed.), Family Law in Asia and Africa (London, 1968), pp. 1533.Google Scholar

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39 Quoted in Langley, Winston E., Women's Rights in International Documents: a source-book with commentary (Jafferson, NC, and London, 1991), p. 89.Google Scholar

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41 Ibid.

42 Civil Appeal No. 70 of 1989 is analysed fully by Kabudi, Palamagamba John, ‘The Judiciary and Human Rights in Tanzania: domestic application of international human rights norms’, in Verfassung und Recht in Übersee (Hamburg), 24, 3, 1991, p. 271.Google Scholar See also, Rose Mtengeti-Migiro, ‘Legal Developments on Women's Rights to Inherit Land under Customary Law in Tanzania’, in Ibid. 24, 4, 1991, pp. 368–9.

43 The Standard (Dar es Salaam), 22 01 1971, quoted in Mbilinyi, loc. cit. p. 67.Google Scholar

44 Ibid.

45 See Tenga, Nakazael L., ‘Women's Access to and Control of Land in Tanzania’, in Wildaf, (ed.), Women, Law and Development in Africa — WILDAF: origins and issues (Washington, DC, OEF International, 1992), p. 181.Google Scholar

46 Bujra, loc. cit. p. 56.

47 See Rwezaura, B. A., ‘Division of Matrimonial Assets Under the Tanzania Marriage Law’, in Verfassung und Recht in Übersee, 17, 1984, p. 179.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

48 For instance, in Omari Oberi vs. Maria Nyakagere, High Court of Tanzania (HCT) at Mwanza, Civil Appeal No. 181 of 1973, Justice Maganga upheld the decision of a lower court which had awarded the sum of TShs.4,400 to a former wife because she had contributed TShs.200 as far back as 1942 towards the establishment of a fishing business which had turned out to be a success.Google Scholar

49 Law Reports of Tanzania (Dar es Salaam), No. 55, 1977.Google Scholar

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51 HCT at Dar es Salaam, Civil Appeal No. 10 of 1980.

52 HCT at Dar es Salaam, Matrimonial Case No. 6 of 1977, unreported.

53 HCT at Mtwara, Civil Appeal No. 28 of 1975, unreported.

54 HCT at Dodoma, Civil Appeal No. 28 of 1975, unreported.

55 Court of Appeal of Tanzania at Dar es Salaam, Civil Appeal No. 9 of 1983.

56 See Peter, Chris Maina and Wambali, Michael K. B., ‘Independence of the Judiciary in Tanzania: a critique’, in Verfassung und Recht in Übersee, 21, 1, 1988, p. 86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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63 If a woman gets pregnant before the expiration of the three years she is not entitled to any maternity leave, and must either resort to her annual leave which is 28 days, or else take leave without pay.

64 See also Article 11(2) of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women that was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1979.

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68 This explanation is, in fact, misleading. The actual aim was to check radicalism in institutions of higher learning, not least since these were the only sources of challenge to the almighty party and its government, and hence had to be controlled. On the 1974 Musoma resolution and its background, see Peter, Chris Maina and Mvungi, Sengondo, ‘The State and Student Struggles’, in Shivji, Issa G. (ed.), The State and the Working People in Tanzania (Dakar, 1985), pp. 155–94.Google Scholar

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74 Commission's Report, Vol. 1, para. 386, p. 113.

75 See the Constitution of Jumuyia ya Wanawake Tanzania (UWT), 1978.Google Scholar

76 Daily News (Dar es Salaam), 27 07 1994.Google Scholar

77 Elimu ya Uraia Kwa Wanawake Wapiga Kura na Agenda ya Wanawake Katika Uchaguzi Mkuu wa Mwaka 1995, Dar es Salaam, 07 1995.Google Scholar

78 See ‘BAWATA waonywa: Acheni Kujihusisha na Siasa – Mwinyi’, in Uhuru (Dar es Salaam), 19 09 1995.Google Scholar