Michuzi Blog
Tanzanian blog operating since 2005, covering International news and Local News, including Politics, Fashion, Social Scenes, Interviews, Movies, Events, personalities and anything positive happening worldwide. Written in Swahili and English targeting both Swahili and English readers.
MichuziBlogV2
Bro Michuzi, Naungana na KP kwa asilimia zote, Hii DSTV hata mimi sielewi wana mpango gani kwa wa TZ kwasababu utaambiwa ulipie kwa usd sasa utalipia kwa us wakati wateja ni waTZ? halafu cha ajabu serikali ilikwisha kemea suala la baadhi ya makampuni kuendesha shughuli zao kwa dizaini ya hawa makaburu, sasa Jk haelewi au.kila siku bei inaonaongezeka ya huduma za hawa jamaaa.ndiyo maana wanapigwa bao na wenzao wa GTV (Mteja wao)
ReplyDeleteKipanya kula Tano. Hawa jamaa wamezidi sana kunyanyasa wabongo. Twaishi Tanzania, US dola ya nini? Mbona kwao South wanatumia Randi?? Kwa nini kwetu wanatuchechezea na shillingi yetu?? Kama hawawezi kazi warudi kwao.Nadhani umefika wakati wa serikali kuamka sasa na kuwa wakali.
ReplyDeleteTShs 90,000 ni karibia UK Paundi 50 Uingereza paundi 15 michaneli kibao.
ReplyDeleteHivi utambarare wa Bongo ni kwa wachache, maana hata broadband internet Uingereza ni paundi 20 maximum na ukiwa 'loyal' customer baada ya miezi 12 gharama ya internet broadband ni 'bure' yaani paundi sifuri.
KP kaongea yote, lazima watanzania tubadilike maana hawa watu wanafanya wizi wa mchana kweupe. Nina hakika TRA wanalipa kodi iliyokadiliwa kwa shillingi ya TZ ilhali mapato yao yanategemea thamani ya Dola katika soko. Wachukuliwe hatua kwa kutofata agizo la BoT na kudanganya TRA kama itagundulika. Hawa ni wahujumu Uchumi pia.
ReplyDeleteWadau wengi wanasahau haraka. Tulishaliongelea hili swali la dola katika biashara ya Bongo, na nikatoa mfano wa DSTV. Narudia, hamna wizi hapa, bei ya dola inapunguza hasara shilingi inapopungua thamani na hamna mtu analazimishwa alipe kwa dola. Kama hamuelewi, nendeni shule muelewe biashara inaendeshwa vipi, mjue inflation na madhara yake katika biashara, sio kila mfanyabiashara ni jambazi.
ReplyDeleteNa mjue kuwa TRA ni waangalifu sana wa biashara, DSTV wangefungiwa biashara zamani kama hawalipi taxes vizuri. Muulize mfanyabiashara yoyote mara ngapi anatembelewa na TRA. Acheni kuropoka ovyo tu, maoni yenu yanatia haya.
Aluta Kontinua.
Salute KP!!!!!Sio DSTV kuna makapuni kibao Kuna Tropical Alluminium ukitaka kutengeneza Kitchen Cabinet wanacharge in USD unalipa kwa Tshs,Jamani huu wizi Mtupu,Tumechoka jamani
ReplyDeleteteh teh teh...kweli DSTV wamezidi sasa SA wanalipa R300/months equivalent to labda 60000Tsh or less sasa hii ya Bongo ni kasheshe...nakumbuka baba yangu alikua analalamika hii DSTV imekua kama kodi ya nyumba sasa...halafu hata bonus hamna...we've been customers for 11 years in a row lakini hata bonus for loyal custumers hakuna kha!Sasa hivi nakubaliana kabisa na malalamiko ya baba yangu...au zianzishwe nyingine kuongeza competition wajue kabisa hawapo peke yao wasibabaishe watu bure.
ReplyDeleteMdau
USA
Hapa kuna taabu sana kusomesha wadau, inabidi niache kusoma maoni sasa kama rafiki yangu, maana ni sawa na kuongea na jiwe.
ReplyDeleteNategemea wasomi na matajiri wetu wataanzisha DSTV yao karibu.
Aluta kontinua
We mdau wa "Aluta Kontinyua" acha kuandika upuuzi kama vile unalipwa na DSTV.Hapa tunalalamikia tatizo la bei kupanda na kushuka kwa kisingizio cha dola.Kwa nini wasifanye bei zao zikawa kwa shilling na watoe taarifa mapema kabla ya muda wa kwenda kulipia?
ReplyDeleteUsibishi kwa kuwa una ka-ishu DSTV,angalia facts.
Hivi na wao wakienda TRA wanalipa kufutana na dollar au wao ipo fixed rate fulani equivalent ya Tanzania shillings?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous wa January 24, 2009 8:59 AM, wewe ndio hovyo kabisa, na nahisi unafanya kazi DST/Multichoice.
We are in Tanzania and we should be paying in Tanzanian currency and not pinned to the ever fluctuating dollar! At the end of the day us here in Tanzania are the ones being hurt - think about it; worldwide currencies are doing well against the dollar except Tanzania. Na kuna mijitu kama wewe unatetea tuu without any concrete because!
Our currency, the Tanzanian shilling, as well as our economy have not collapsed so why the fcuk are we paying for services pinned against the US dollar?
Come on, now!
Maybe I should state my reason in English, since Kiswahili reasons didn't see to convince some people here of the need for businessmen in Dar to peg their profits with US Dollars.
ReplyDeleteFor your information, I don't work for DSTV, I have expressed my opinion to this matter as an economist and a businessman.
You cannot compare currency exchange rates of other countries with ours. Fluctuations is caused by many factors including import/export mechanism, GNP, GDP and the investor's confidence in our economy. It is sadly noted that Tanzania is at the bottom of the world when it comes to foreign exports. Most foregn currencies found in the market comes from foreign donors. We simply do not have enough export industries to earn enough foregn exchange to stabilize our economy. Thus, for the last 10 years, we have been struggling to pay outstanding debt of 8 billion dollars and our budget has been supported by foreign donors since independence.
Now that you know why our currency is unstable, I want to inform you that it is illegal for any businessman to refuse accepting the local currency. However, it is not illegal to peg the profit to the dollar, since the economy is capitalist, it is an acceptable way of doing business. You may argue whether it is fair or not to an average Tanzanian, but that's beside the point. As a businessman, I decide to get X amount of profit when I sell my goods. If I live in a country with unstable currency and high inflation, it eats up my profit if it's in the local currency. I am not a charity organization, I need to make my profit to make a living too. I don't understand why some people don't see this logic, is it because of lack of education in economic matters,jelousy or hatred towards successful capitalists?
If some people here feel that DSTV is robbing them blind, I think it will be a great opportunity then for someone here to start their own cable company and charge "reasonable" rates to the public. In that way, you will create competition and help with the economy and hopefully force DSTV to reduce charges.
For those who think the economy is strong and not in the ICU, how come we haven't grown rich enough to provide basic services to the public? Why are we begging foreign donors for so many years? Why do we have 8 billion dollar debt for the last decade? Why is an average Tanzanian's salary so low for so long? If you don't see poverty around you, I suggest you go to a village near you. How many Tanzanians you think can afford a TV set let alone a cable service? I doubt more than 5% of the population would afford a 20 dollar cable fee let alone 100.
I hope I have provided "concrete" reasons for you anony 1:35, I will be glad to answer to you and debate you in English or Kiswahili for the sake of educating each other.
Aluta Continua.
Ushauri kwa Baraka Shelukindo na uongozi mzima wa MULTICHOICE TANZANIA... Gharama za DSTV [PREMIUM)zipo juu saana hali halisi ya Mtanzania mwenye kwenda kazini kuanzia J3 hadi Ijumaa saa 2 asubuhi hadi saa 11 jioni!!!... Mfano nakaa Kijitonyama na ninafanya kazi mjini...Natoka nyumbani saa 12 na nusu alfajiri narudi saa 1 jioni muda huo nitaangalia habari ktk TBC 1 TV hadi saa 3 kisha nitaangalia Movie hadi saa 5 halafu naenda kulala kwa hiyo natumia masaa matano tuu kuangalia DSTV kwa cku ...pamoja na familia yangu ukizingatia familia yangu ina watoto wa shule kwa hiyo nime-wazuia kabisa kuangalia TV hadi weekend tena nawapa muda wa masaa mawili tu jioni kwa hiyo roughly kwa wiki natumia Masaa 43 kati ya 168 ambayo wanani-charge!!!! hapo nimewahi nyumbani sijapita ktkt Pub/Bar/Container/Stoo/Grocery etc... sijaenda kusalimia ndg. jamaa na marafiki Mgawo wa Umeme,Foleni ya Magari etc. kwanini msianzishe utaratibu wa kama wa TANESCO au DAWASCO??? Unalipia kile unachotumia LUKU au Meter???? Yaani...
ReplyDeleteWAY FORWARD....
Kuanzia Feb mwaka huu silipii tena hadi mimi au mke wangu...Niwe/awe likizo!!!! Dish litabaki kama Prestige/Pambo/White Elephant/Status etc. juu ya nyumba yangu.
Mdau Mpenda Keroro.
Kwani mi nashangaa, kwani lazima cable?? nielewesheni jamani kwani mi sijui, huku niliko mie ughaibuni, mtu unanuanua receiver yako na unaweka dishi moja kwa moja, hata madishi mawili au matatu inategema unatakaje na LMB zake pia kwa jiansi utakayo, labda Nile sat na Horbird. Baada ya hapo unamlipa fundi (gharama yake ikiwa chini ya dola 200) anajikata na baada ya hapo channels ubwelele, na hakuna kulipia wala tax. Sasa kwa nini huko home msifanye hivyo? au haiwezekani kuweka madishi muachane na usumbufu wa hao makaburu?
ReplyDeletenielewesheni tafadhali.
We Anonymous wa 24,2009 6:36 Ngoja nikueleweshe kwanza unapozungumzia ughaibuni na Bongo ni kama Unazungumzia OBAMA na Juma Nature (yule msanii wa kule temeke)ni mambo mawili tofauti kabisa, mimi ni mtaalamu wa mambo ya Satellite Dish ni kwamba dstv wao chaneli zao nilazima uwe nakifaa chao kinachoitwa Decorder Pamoja na Smartcard na vyote hivyo viwili lazima uvinunue DSTV pekee au kwa mawakala wao baada ya hapo utatakiwa kuwa na SatDish aina ya KU-Band pamoja na LNBF ya Ku-Band, Dishi na LNBF unaweza kuvinunua popote lakini siyo Decorder na Smartcard, baadaya hapo utakwenda kufungiwa nawakati huo vifaa hivyo vinakuwa vimeunganisha na SYSTEM yao Sina uhakika ni south au Hapa bongo lakini kwa uzoefu wangu nahisi mitambo ipo south. kisha utapatiwa Acount no yako ambyo utakuwa unafanyia malipo ya mwezi,inapoifika siku 30 haujalipa inakata auto.hiyo ndiyo dstv bwanaa. Sasa turudi kwenye pointi yako ya kwanini mtu asiwe na dishi na akafunga LNB anazohitaji na akapata channel? Kweli utafunga Dish lakini huwezi kupata channel zinazoonyeshwa na hawa makaburu, Hutapata CNN,BBC,SKY NEWS,SUPER SPORT3 nannyingine kibao ambazo siwezi kuziorozesha hapa mimi siyo mfanyakazi wao wa kuwatangazia biashara kwanza wamekwisha niudhi, Channel utakazopata baada yakufunga hilo dish usilolipia (C-BAND) ni hizi za kienyeji za kina epa,richmund,kagoga,na zile za kuwaalika walemavu wakale mlo mmoja kwa mwaka aibuuuuu, Nimatumaini yangu nimekufahamisha kiasi cha kutosha,kama hujaelewa au una swali niandikie kash2009@live.com
ReplyDeleteAnony wa Tarehe January 24, 2009 2:38 PM, for you the struggle truly continues! What you said supports what I said, that DSTV/Multichoice is cleaning out Tanzanians by pegging their services on the dollar to reap huge profits - mwisho wa siku mTanzania ndiye anaeyeumia - ooopps, sorry, kiswahili not rechabo for you.
ReplyDeleteWhat the hell does all that talk of "...Tanzanians being at the bottom of the world when it comes to exports..." got to do with DSTV/Multichoice doing what they are doing? As it is right now Tanzanians are paying way more than other Africans as previously stated above somewhere.
Granted you are protecting your job, Baraka, for you the struggle will clearly continue!
Anony 10:55 above, first let me state that I am not Baraka and do not work for DSTV. I have also said before that I am an economist and a businessman. Also, I am comfortable in Kiswahili as I am in English. I hope it's not a crime here to express opinions in both languages competently.
ReplyDeleteWhat I was describing was the reason why businessmen were pegging their profits to a dollar. It has to do with the economy of our country. It does not take a Rocket Scientist to figure out that we are POOR. That Tanzania begs foreign countries to pay her bills (8 billion dollar debt unpayable now for a decade). You have to be living in another planet if you don't know these simple facts about our country.
Since we do not export enough, our economy is poor. Obviously that's why our currency is unstable. Lack of foreign exchange makes it hard for our government to pay her debt and provide basic services to the public. The fluctuation of the currency is therefore RELATED to the mere fact that the country is at the bottom of the world, a poor exporter of goods and services.
Tanzanian shilling is going after the few available dollars in the market from mainly donor nations and therefore causing the rates to be fluctuate month after month since the government decided to float it in the market. There are also other factors as well such as investor's confidence and GDP/GNP.
The economical situation HAS everything to do with the way many businesses peg their profits to a dollar to reduce loss in countries like ours. Comparing the DSTV rates here with other countries is quite amateurish. It only makes sense if they experience the same political climate, inflation, tax rates, and other economic data such as GDP and GNP. You can't argue that just because it is cheaper in Malawi or Rwanda, it should be the same rate in Tanzania as well. This concept of pegging to foreign currency also works for the consumers as well. You can apply for a mortgage in Europe and peg the payments in various foreign currencies. The customer hopes to pay less in the future should the local currency lose value against the basket of currencies pegged to the loan. It is unfortunate that no such service is unavailable in our country as yet.
You might not like the fact that DSTV has a monopoly of cable service in Tanzania but that is not illegal. They peg their profits to a dollar to protect their profits. They have every right as a business to charge whatever they feel the market is capable of affording. Obviously they have many customers who might not be happy about the rates but are happy to keep them in business by continuing to be their customers. If another company comes in the market or decide not to buy their services, they might be forced to lower their rates. This is a nutshell is what capitalism is all about.
Aluta Kontinua.
Anony wa 1.50PM
ReplyDeletePersonally being a financial expert, i do not dispute your argument that it is necessary for businesses to peg their receivables against a strong and a stable currency eg USD. However, it is not in any way beneficial to our country. As much as it helps the businesses from reducing losses, it acts very negatively to our economy making our shiling of less value every time. The situation was similar for the mobile phone coys but the government interveined and everything is now in Tshs and they are making profits. Why should someone who is encurring all his business costs in TShs (including salaries) be allowed to charge its sales in a different currency?
Another point here is the price charged. I donot believe that DSTV prices should be that high. Looking at our economy size compared to that of a country like South Africa, the running costs here should be much less. Why then are the SA people paying much less for the same service? In addition, I believe that the running costs here are much less compared to the costs DSTV are incuring in SA. A good example is GTV which is charging only TShs 46,000 per month (less than USD 50) for a premium service. DSTV on the other hand charges USD 75 for more less the same. Dont you see this is excessive?
The ball is on your court to ponder and think what is beneficial for your country and people.
Mdau Bongo
Anony wa January 25, 2009 1:50 PM maybe you can learn somethings from anony wa January 26, 2009 9:42 AM. Most of your assumptions, though they may be true, make no sense to the everyday common man, the ones who shed blood, sweat and tears trying to put food on the table everyday. You fail to convince me with your mumbo jumbo about the state of the TZ economy especially you being cocooned there in the US. One point I agree with you is that there is no true competitor for DSTV until GTV rolled in, and they are getting better by the day.
ReplyDeleteGiven the options at the moment, my advice is to get the cheaper bouquet (the also fluctuating one of 25$)OR get GTV Premium; get the Chinese antennae that gives you approximately 30+ digital African channels (including local channels minus C2C, DTV as not digital yet), 2 Kenya and 1 Uganda channels, Mozambique, Lubumbashi, Madagascar etc, and go watch your movies at Mlimani City or New Line Cinemas. This Chinese antennae is all weather and does not lose connection come rain, cloud cover or sunshine - funny thing about it is its not advertised and there is no literature about it but you can get it at many TV/VCR/Radio or other electronic repair stores and/or movie rental places.
Yeah, the struggle does continue.....no doubts about it.
KASH you made my day ha ha ha uuuuuwi.
ReplyDeleteAnony 9:42 and 10:50, thank you very much for contributing in this debate.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of you that the rates of DSTV is high and that it is not beneficial for the average person. However, I don't think that all of their expenses are in shillings. As long as they are foreign owned, have foreign staff and consultants and the dishes and cards are imported, they are exposed to foreign exchange fluctuations.
As a financial expert, you should know Anony 9:42 that comparing South African rates and TZ rates is like comparing apples and oranges. It is not only about local wages companies worry about. It's other costs of doing business, red-tapes, corruption, cost of relocating staff, rule of law, high cost of living (why do landlords charge New York rates by the way?), VAT, general health of the economy and political stability. Maybe you saw above the soldier punishing a civilian for having his boots dirtied. In South Africa, they will probably go to court to settle their differences. When some investors see this picture they get cold feet.
Businesses all over the world are not in the business of thinking what is good for the country but for their own pockets, it is what capitalistic philosophy is all about. Competition is always good to pressure the company enjoying monopoly to reduce the prices but since they are still high, they must be giving something to the consumer he/she doesn't get it elsewhere and sticking with them.
I am also repeating again, pegging and charging in foreign currency is two different things. As a capitalist country, it is not illegal to peg your profits and they DO accept local currency, I have repeated this so many times, that's why some people think I work for DSTV or even Baraka.
Anony 10:50, all I was explaining is the economics of the business of pegging. It might be mumbo jumbo to an average man but I see that some people understand the reason quite well though like you, they feel they are getting ripped off by DSTV. Being at home (which i am) or abroad should't make me any less competent in matters of TZ economy. All the data is in the internet. At least you got one thing right, I am America university educated but live right here in Bongo.
Also, DSTV is hardly for struggling Tanzanians, if you subscribe to their services or to GTV, it means you are from a solid middle class. An average Tanzanian, cannot afford a TV set let alone a cable service, and if he/she does, its probably free channels.
What I said might not make sense to some people but it is my duty to educate my fellow citizens. We have just come out of Ujamaa na Kujitegemea political system, I imagine it is hard for some people to accept that businesses are just as greedy to make a profit as government is to tax the population. We can complain all we want about being ripped off by DSTV but as long as you line up and pay them every month, they will continue to exist. It doesn't matter if another country charges less for the same services. You either get it or you don't.
Aluta Kontinua