Strictly no vampires

Press, 5 July 1977, Page 8

Strictly no vampires

NZPA Dar-es-Salaam The ruling Revolutionary Party in Tanzania has said that rumours about vampires being used to supply the Government’s blood banks were lies spread by Tanzania’s enemies to discredit the Government. Authorities have been trying to convince Dar-es-Salaam residents that a number of recent murders were carried out by criminal gangs, not vampires. Last Thursday, the police arrested a woman who nearly caused a riot in a down-town park when she accused a man of sucking her blood. An editorial in the party’s Swahili-language weekly, “Maezelendo,” said at the [week-end that some people had been accusing the Government of encouraging vampires in order to build up stocks at Governmentsponsored blood banks, j Referring to the recent [murder of a teacher which rumour has blamed on vampires, the editorial said: “Who could b lieve that the Government would allow the death of a teacher in order to save the life of a loiterer?” The paper referred to the stories circulating about vampires as "absolute nonsense” and called on all Tanzanians to “forget rumours and concentrate on developing the nation on the principles of ; socialism.”