MENGI'S SAVAGERY - TANZANIA'S SHAME

STATE IGNORES  MENGI'S SAVAGERY USED TO

HARASS INVESTORS

QUARANTINE REFRENECE- LG/V. 30/1/Vol. 1/81 date 19th May 2006.

The Tanzanian government refuse to address the criminal conduct of Benjamin Mengi and the State institutions that support his corruption in relation to  Silverdale Farm.  Mengi has used used barbaric, savage and deliberate cruelty against his livestock in order to harass British investors Stewart Middelton and Sarah Hermitage. The police and the judiciary have overtly facilitated his criminal conduct failing to arrest him  for criminal trespass, cruelty, criminal damage and assault by keeping his animals unlawfully on Silverdale Farm. 

Former Minister of Justice Mary Nagu instructed the investors not to remove the cattle from the farm despite the fact that they had no right to be there. 'The government are sorting out this case' she stated.  The Minister had no constitutional or legal tight to give this instruction and in doing so, condoned at Ministerial level, abuse of the rule of law.  So much for the Minister of Justice!!!!!

Nagu stated in November 2007, that she wanted to resolve the Silverdale Farm issue, in a manner that 'protected' the Mengi name. 

Despite refusing to accept ny complaint by the investors re Mengi's conduct, after some 20 animals had died from foot and mouth disease, the police accepted a complaint from Mengi, that the investors had killed his cattle and issued a civil law suit against them to this effect and for forging the quarantine order.!!!!

Welcome to invsetor friendly Tanzania!!!!!!!!!

SHAME ON TANZANIA

MENGI LEFT ANIMAL TO ROT IN HOT SUN FOR A WEEK IN BREACH OF A QUARANTINE ORDER

MENGI LEFT CARCASS IN THE HOT SUN FOR A WEEK  IN BREACH OF A QUARANTINE ORDER

MENGI  LEFT ANIMAL TO DIE IN AGONY FOR THREE DAYS WITHOUT FOOD, WATER OR VETERINARY TREATMENT

GOAT CARCASS LEFT UNBURIED BY MENGI IN BREACH OF A QUARANTINE ORDER

ANIMAL'S TEATS BADLY INFECTED WITH FOOT & MOUTH DISEASE

SALIM HABIB, MENGI'S EMPLOYEE, REMOVING MILK FROM SILVERDALE FARM IN BREACH OF A QUARANTINE ORDER

REGIONAL COMMISSIONER BABU WAS INFORMED AND DID NOTHING

REGIONAL VETERINARY OFFICER DR. KWEKA DID NOTHING ALLOWING SPREAD OF DISEASE AND RISK OF HUMAN INFECTION

Mr. S. Dass, The Director, Veterinary Investigation Centre

IGNORED THE SITUATION

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 Songwe Estates Ltd

Registered Office, Box 53, Moshi

29th June 2006

Mr. S. Dass,
The Director,
The Veterinary Investigation Centre,
Dar es Salaam


Dear Sir,

Silverdale & Mbono Farms-Quarantine Order 15th May 2006

I write to complain in the strongest possible terms of the conduct of Dr. L. E. Kweka, District veterinary Officer for Hai district and his negligent and deliberate miss-management of the above quarantine order placed on animals kept on Silverdale farm on the 15th May 2006.

A quarantine order was declared on animals unlawfully kept on Silverdale Farm by Mrs. M. Mengi on 19th May 2006 by Kweka after he had attended Silverdale Farm on Saturday 13th May with Dr. E. S. Swai, Officer in Charge, of the Veterinary Investigation Centre in Arusha. Dr. Swai attended to make observations on the animals having received a report on the sick and malnourished condition of the animals from a private veterinary practice in Arusha. I reported the condition of the animals to the private practice because they animals were sick, malnourished and dying without veterinary assistance being provided to them.

You will see from Dr. Swai’s observations below, that according to Dr. Kweka, deaths had been noted on the farm by Mrs. Mengi’s staff since April 2006. He states that approximately 14 animals had died due to Bloat after the onset of the long rains. He further states that the major clinical manifestation seen during his visit was obvious signs of Foot and Mouth disease, buccal cavity lesions and lameness due to claw lesions and teat ulcers and that no supportive therapy/measures were being offered to the animals prior to his visit save for some wounds being washed with salt water. In total, Dr. Swai states that the overall death toll at the date of his visit was some 32 animals.

Dr. Swai observed routine premises hygiene as poor due to the unsupervised and dwindling management of the animals and the disease had been circulating because of little attention giving rise to the possibility of the disease spreading to neighboring communities. Dr. Swai advised Kweka, that no secondary animal product (milk) should be derived from the farm and that the control and attendance of the animals by Mrs. Mengi’s staff should be thoroughly supervised and monitored by the DVO competent authorities. Periodic check up and monitoring of the disease should be established by the DVO’s office and any carcasses were to be buried under the supervision of the DVO and his staff.

Dr. Kweka (or any other DVO officer) has refused to come to the farm since the 16th May to supervise the disease or any burials of the animals that have died. The quarantine order is not being observed and as a result, the disease has spread to the surrounding areas. I have had to employ a government livestock field officer at my own expense to supervise the burial of animals that have died and have been treating the animals under his supervision at my own expense. Mrs. Mengi’s staff has refused to assist with the burials stating that they have instructions from their employers to leave the carcasses where they die. Mengi’s staff have been pulling stinking and rotting carcasses from the cow shed where animals have been dying overnight and leaving them to rot in the sun.

The animals have now been completely abandoned by the owners and I am left to deal with this situation alone. The animals continue to die and we have persistently requested assistance from Kweka and Dr. Swai. We are unsure at this present stage what the animals are now dying of when not showing clear signs of continuing Foot and Mouth disease.

Up until the animals were abandoned three weeks ago, milk from the animals was being sold to KCMC and Mwenzi hospitals in Moshi by Mengi’s staff and no quarantine measures were in place. Mengi’s staff walked on and off of the farm without taking any disinfecting measures whatsoever.

This is a disgraceful state of affairs. Kweka has not attended the farms since the 16th May stating that he has been threatened by Mengi if he does so. The man is supposed to be a veterinary doctor responsible for the health and care of livestock in the district. Due to his appalling negligence, the disease has now spread to the surrounding areas and caused unnecessary death and suffering to animals and has threatened the livelihoods of livestock owners in the area. Kweka ‘s appalling conduct is an indictment on the Tanzanian veterinary authorities and the veterinary profession at large. Never have I seen, any where in the world such negligent avoidable, barbaric and savage neglect of animals.

The animals continue to die. We now do not know from which disease. Neither the DVO or the RVO is monitoring this situation to the slightest degree. The animals do not belong to us and it is impossible for us to effectively keep thee animals under quarantine on the farm. I ask for your assistance please with the diagnosis of the sick animals with this continuing disease and the removal of the animals from the farm evoking the powers invested in you. We also ask that the owners of the animals be prosecuted for failing to observe the quarantine order and the unnecessary suffering being caused to the animals.

I shall be bringing this matter to the attention of the relevant government Minister but, in the meantime, I respectfully make this formal request for your assistance and intervention regarding the appalling negligence of the District and Regional veterinary offices.

The miss-management of this situation is inexcusable, unparalleled and quite disgraceful.

Yours faithfully,

Stewart Middleton.

Managing Director

Electronically:-cc. Hon. Dr. Juma Ngasongwa (MP) Minister for Planning, Economy & Empowerment

Mr. P Parham, the British High Commission, Dar es Salaam.

LETTER WAS IGNORED

SILVERDALE TANZANIA LTD

Box 53
Moshi

17th March 2006

Mr. Babu,

The Regional Commissioner

Moshi

Dear Sir,

SILVERDALE & MBONO FARMS-BENJAMIN MENGI-CATTLE & LIVESTOCK

I respectfully seek your assistance with the above.

Benjamin Mengi and his wife have been asked to remove their cattle and livestock from Silverdale & Mbono Farms. They refuse to do so and the cattle are now causing extensive damage to the infrastructure of the farms and crops commercially grown on the farms for export to the UK.

The cattle are persistently damaging the furrows and are causing extensive environmental damage to the riverine areas of the farm. Further, they are causing damage to the furrows of neighboring villages that have I understand, made their own request for Mr. Mengi and his wife to remove their cattle from the farms. Most importantly, in order to operate commercially on the Farms, we have to be EUROGAP accredited and this organization is currently exceedingly concerned with the cattle being in such close proximity to the production of export quality vegetables. Mr. Mengi’s staff persistently and deliberately, drive the cattle into production areas on the farm and only last month, a police report was opened to this effect for damages done in excess of $10,000.

Sir, I am aware that as the leaseholder of the farms I have an absolute right to remove the cattle however, I do seek to do so under your instructions and guidance. I respectfully, urge expediency in this matter.

Respectfully and with kind regards,

Yours sincerely,

Stewart Middleton.

Managing Director, Silverdale Tanzania Ltd.

LETTER IGNORED