Biteko fires TANESCO manager, TPDC relations officer

MTWARA: DEPUTY Prime Minister, Dr Doto Biteko has directed the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) Managing Director Gissima Nyamo-Hanga to fire the Customer Relations Manager of the company and get another competent person to hold the position.

Dr Biteko who is also the Minister for Energy directed the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) Managing Director to get rid of the Head of Public Relation and Communication Unit for failure to take up her roles as required.

Dr Biteko made the directives here on Tuesday when addressing a rally at Msimbati ward in Mtwara district, Mtwara Region.

He said the TANESCO relations manager has been having poor communication with customers, providing unfriendly answers to TANESCO customers who require services, with others calling to seek solutions for electricity crisis.

“It is true that the country is facing electricity crisis and TANESCO has a customer care department where customers call to get services and other requirements over electricity issues, but the manager of the department (Customer Relations Manager) has been having poor communication, providing unpleasant answers to customers who call for services,” he said.

Dr Biteko said public servants should always learn to be answerable to the citizens as required, noting that public servants ought to respect each other and be answerable to what the ‘wananchi’ need.

On the other side, Dr Biteko blamed TPDC Head of Public Relation and Communication unit for failure to take up her roles of promoting the corporation’s mission to customers.

He pointed out lack of providing and getting information from the community around the gas development projects in Msimbati area in order to get to know the challenges facing them and provide solutions for better relations.

Dr Biteko was speaking after receiving complaints from Msimbati residents over TPDC’s failure to handle their issues, most of them concerning the gas projects at Msimbati area.

The ‘wananchi’ mentioned lack of a health care centre, poor roads and police centre as among the challenges facing them, blaming the government for failing to handle their matters despite having gas projects whose levies could have been used to handle the community’s social needs.

Responding, Dr Biteko directed TPDC to immediately make up their plans through Social Corporate Responsibility (CSR) and build a health centre at Msimbati area to serve the wananchi in the area.

He also directed district executive director for Mtwara Mtwara district council to ensure the service levy provided through gas projects in the areas is used to ensure better social services at Msimbati

The deputy PM said the municipality collects over 1.5bn/- service levy which is distributed to the district council, saying some of the money should be used to provide better social services to the communities living around gas development project sites.

Dr Biteko arrived here on Monday evening for a two-day working tour to inspect gas, electricity and REA projects in Mtwara.