Fire destroyed part of IPP Executive Chairman Reginald Mengi`s residence in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday night. Eyewitnesses said as flames began to spread, fire fighters quickly extinguished the blaze soon after getting information. Bernard Mabula, head of Ultimate Security fire brigade which worked in collaboration with Knight Support staff to quell the fire, said they were compelled to climb the stairs to the first floor of the building in order to put the situation under control.
All the furniture in Mengi`s bedroom and the adjoining washroom were destroyed, except for the bed and three large Bibles which lay on a nearby table. Quite surprisingly, both the bed on which Mengi had been lying when the fire occurred and the Bible were left intact. No person was injured during the incident.
Asked what message he had for Tanzanians in regard to fire outbreaks, Mengi said people usually blamed TANESCO whenever electric faults caused fatal fire outbreaks.
``However, they forget that some of the problems occur due to purchase and installation of counterfeit electric fittings, Mengi said.
He cautioned Tanzanians to shun all goods imported from China and India, until governments of those countries intervened and stopped the exportation of counterfeit products to Tanzania. He said there was a connection between drug trafficking and the importation of counterfeits, normally because it was the same people who were involved.
Mengi said keeping a blind eye on the rampant imports of fakes was bound to inflict heavy damage on the country�s economy, as local industries producing genuine products would eventually be forced to close shop. ``Worse still, a great deal of medicine sold in our pharmacies is fake. Many innocent people who purchase these drugs end up losing their lives. Indeed, time will come when fake medicine will kill more people than AIDS,`` Mengi said.