Tanzania plans to publish national database of married men to curb cheating
A Tanzanian state official has announced a plan to establish and publish a national database of married men in a bid to curb cheating.
Paul Makonda, the regional commissioner of the the country’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam, said on Monday that women would consult the database to check if their potential lovers are married or not.
According to a CNN report, Makonda explained that this would help end “heart breaks” caused by abandonment after a long period of dating.
I have been receiving complaints from women who have been promised marriage by men, yet the men didn’t fulfil the promise. I know women who have been paying bills yet the men walked away.
Dar es Salaam regional commissioner Paul Makonda
In a tweet he posted in Kiswahili, Makonda said it’s actually “illegal” for a man to promise a woman marriage when he knows he doesn’t have the intention to follow through.
My office and I are coming up with plans to stop marriage infidelity. You can’t promise a woman marriage when you don’t actually mean it. In fact, it’s illegal to do so.
Dar es Salaam regional commissioner Paul Makonda
The slightly unusual plan has elicited some reactions from South Africans on social media.
Mandisa Mashego, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Gauteng chairperson, was among them.
She praised Makonda for the idea, calling him “a boss” for protecting women from “womanisers and adulterers.”
However, African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee (NEC) member Tony Yengeni wasn’t so enthusiastic about it.
“Confidentiality should be upheld!” he tweeted.
Another Twitter user said the plan should be adopted in South Africa as well and should also include a DNA database for the sake of children.
