Tanzania's Chadema party officials including deputy chair John Heche freed on bail after weeks in custody
The other officials released include Deputy Secretary-General (Mainland) Amani Golugwa, Central Committee member Godbless Lema, and Coastal Zone Chairperson Boniface Jacob, known widely as Boni Yai.
Tanzanian authorities have granted bail to several high-ranking officials of the opposition party Chadema, ending days of detention that had fueled political tension.
John Heche, the party’s Deputy Chairperson for the Mainland, is among those released, having spent nearly three weeks in custody.
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Their lawyer, Hekima Mwasipu, stated that the leaders were released on Monday evening, November 10, 2025, but are required to report to the Central Police Station in Dar es Salaam at 10:00 am on Tuesday.
“The leaders have indeed been released on bail, and they are required to report at 10 in the morning to the Central Police Station,” Mwasipu said as quoted by The Citizen.
The other officials released include Deputy Secretary-General (Mainland) Amani Golugwa, Central Committee member Godbless Lema, and Coastal Zone Chairperson Boniface Jacob, known widely as Boni Yai.
The three had been arrested in connection with protests that erupted before and after the October 29 general election in several regions, including Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza, Mbeya, Songwe, Kilimanjaro, Dodoma, Mara, and Ruvuma.
Heche had been detained since October 22, 2025, after his arrest outside the High Court in Dar es Salaam, where he attended the treason trial of Chadema Chairperson Tundu Lissu.
The release of these senior figures on bail marks a key moment in the party’s post-election challenges, as they navigate legal and political pressures following the unrest.
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