Final days of departed Yanga fan

MORE details have emerged of Young Africans fan who died in the stampede last Sunday at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam, a sad and grieving story of a husband and father of four children, William Mwani, aged 55, who died of the stamping at the Mkapa Stadium.

With great grief, the uncle of the deceased, Matonya Matobo, narrated to the ‘Daily News’ Mwani’s last moments before he passed.

Matobo noted that Mwani, a big fan of the Young Africans, lived in Chanika kwa Mbiki in Dar es Salaam.

“He supported his family and was a loving husband to his wife Neema Hassan and father to the four children. Mwani became an entrepreneur who frequently travelled to different regions to earn a living for his family.

“Before Sunday’s game between Yanga and USM Alger, he had travelled to Morogoro.

“He returned to Dar es Salaam on Saturday evening, so he should not miss last Sunday’s CAF Confederation Cup final’s first leg match. He was excited to return home, knowing he would have the opportunity to watch the historical final for his lovely club…sadly, he did not make it to the 90 minutes.”

In profound sadness, the uncle continued explaining that the last time Mwani saw his family was in the morning when he said goodbye to his wife and children before heading to Mkapa Stadium while his family was heading to church.

“The last time the deceased saw his family was on Sunday morning when he said goodbye to his family on their way to church while he started his journey to Mkapa Stadium.

“It is sad because that was the last time he saw his family, and the children saw their father.”

Matobo further described Mwani’s passion for his club: “He was a passionate Yanga fan. Whenever Yanga lose, you will see his face with sorrow that he was hurt.

“Mwani was funny, a happy person all the time. Everyone enjoyed his company. We have lost someone important to our family and community of Chanika; for Yanga, they have lost a great fan.”

‘Daily News’ met with a friend and neighbour, Hidaya Athumani, a friend of Mwani’s wife, who narrated how they received the details of the tragedy. Hidaya explained that his wife was informed by a nurse at Temeke Regional Referral Hospital, who told them that Mwani had suffered injuries, so they should come to the hospital.

“We arrived at the hospital soon after being informed that we had a patient. When we arrived at the hospital, we attempted to locate him in every ward, but we missed him. Later the nurses directed us to go to the mortuary, and that’s when we realised our loved one had passed.”

Following the death of Mwani, the deceased’s family has requested Tanzanians to unite with them in this grieving time after the death of their loved one.

“We are counting on transporting our loved one today to Mvumi Mission in Dodoma; we rely on the support of each person touched by the tragedy. For anyone who needs to communicate or send a message of condolence, then do not hesitate to contact us at 0756734003.”

“The burial ceremony will be this Thursday in Mvumi.”

Meanwhile, the Minister for Culture, Arts and Sports, Pindi Chana, joined hands with the rest of the sports fraternity to mourn for the late William Mwani, who died in a stampede at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium before the kick-off.

Yanga, Simba, and Nation Sports Council are among other sports fraternities that grieved for the loss of a football fan through their Instagram handles.