While it is okay to call him Chairperson, what’s wrong with the word, Chairman?

Due to reasons of ethics and emotional intelligence, we’ll avoid uttering the headline of the story appearing on Page 2 of the Thursday, May 15 edition of the tabloid associated with this columnist. In Para 2 of the story, the scribbler writes:

“At a farewell ceremony on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at Mapinduzi Square, Dr. ...... expressed regret for not informing H…. directly how much he valued his professionalism…”

Dr.….expressed his sentiments on Wednesday, May 14, right? Now when you report him the next day, all you need is to use the adjective “yesterday.” Mentioning the date, complete with the name of the month and the current year is sheer waste of space and your reader’s time.

We note the same goofing on Page 3, in a story entitled ‘Chadema defies Registrar’s order on key appointments,’ where our scribbling colleague writes: “Speaking on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 during a public rally…”

What a waste of newsprint space and time for both the scribbler and his readers! Saying, “Speaking on Tuesday…” would have been enough. In Kiswahili even mentioning the day wouldn’t be necessary; the writer would just use the adjective juzi, (Kiswahili for “a day before yesterday”).Eulogizing the key public official and former broadcaster who passed on recently, a mourner, one EM, is quoted as purportedly saying, “He served with commitment and his LOSS is truly significant.”

Hello! When I die, that won’t be MY loss, it will not be Abdi’s loss but rather, it will be a loss to those who care about me, such as my wife, children and siblings. A rewrite to redeem the misinformation should read thus: “He served with commitment and his DEATH is truly significant.” Or: “…his DEMISE is truly a significant LOSS.” Or: “Losing him is truly significant.”

Page 10 of the Friday, May 16 of Bongo’s huge and colourful broadsheet has a story entitled ‘AUC chair charts new path for Africa…’ and intro for this one reads: “In a moment that felt both historic, His Excellency Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the newly appointed CHAIRPERSON of African Union Commission took to the stage on May 12th 2025 not just to speak, but to inspire.”

 Listen to our concern. With His Excellency being a man why don’t we refer to him a CHAIRMAN instead of the mouthful of a word, chairperson? Or simply, CHAIR.

The Monday, May 19 edition of the same broadsheet has a story on Page 4 with the headline, ‘Dodoma RC urges residents to preserve water.’ Referring to what a senior water engineer in Kondoa District said, the scribbler reports: “He noted that the recurring vandalism HAVE led to significant water losses disruption in supply.”

Oops! A grammar rule on noun-verb agreement has been violated here. Why, the noun phrase “recurring vandalism” is singular, so the verb that describes it must be singular too—HAS. “…the recurring vandalism HAS (not have) led to significant water losses disruption in supply.”

In this edition, the cake goes to our colleague who penned the headline for the top-most story, printed in bold, which goes thus, ‘TZ global star keeps SHINNING.’ It’s a story on our very own health guru, the online and public fora sensation, Prof Mohamed Janabi, who never tired warning us against careless, suicidal eating habits, who was on Sunday elected the World Health Organisation regional director for Africa for the 2025 – 2030 term.

Tanzania’s star keeps ‘shinning’? Nope! Our star, thanks to the 67-year-old Prof Janabi, is SHINING brighter and brighter. Shining is from the core verb SHINE—ngara in Kiswahili. Meanwhile “shinning” means “climbing quickly up or down by gripping with one’s arms and legs. It’s from the core verb SHIN— paramia in Kiswahili.

Ah, this treacherous language called English!