Mourners at the house of the late Elizabeth Lobulu (inset) at Sanawari on Tuesday. She was laid to rest at the family farm at Sanawari, Arusha on Thursday, near to her late husband William Lobulu’s grave.
BY DANFORD MPUMILWA
It was in 1980 that I walked one afternoon into the offices of the then Tanzania News Agency (SHIHATA), located along Upanga Road in Dar es Salaam. The offices were within walking distance of my workplace on Maktaba Street at Tanganyika Standard Newspapers (TSN), publishers of the Daily and Sunday newspapers, where I worked as a journalist. I had gone to SHIHATA, among other reasons, to visit my friend William Lobulu, a Sub-Editor and a long-time companion from our days at Mkwawa High School through to the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM). William was a year ahead of me and had mentored me in journalism from the time we produced The Mkwawan, our high school publication. On that particular visit, after our usual friendly conversation, he introduced me to a beautiful, soft-spoken young lady, telling me she was his girlfriend. This was new to me. In all the years I had known him, he had never introduced me to anyone in that way. It soon became clear that he was serious about her. Before long, they were married.
In due course, the couple moved to Arusha. William became a media consultant for several local and international organisations while his wife assumed the role of Public Relations and Information Officer at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT). In 1981, I too relocated to Arusha after securing employment at the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC). With her coordination and organisational support, William and I established The Arusha Times, which endured for more than three decades. She managed the administrative and logistical operations with remarkable diligence. It is thanks to her dedication that the newspaper survived the many challenges it faced over the years. I was also a frequent visitor to their beautiful home in Sanawari, surrounded by lush gardens, tropical greenery and abundant birdlife. Her warm hospitality and delicious meals were always an added delight.
A consummate professional and tireless worker, Elizabeth was also among the founders of the Tanzania Media Women’s Association (TAMWA). Seven years ago, in 2019, she lost her beloved husband. Yet she bore the loss with courage and resilience continuing to care devotedly for their four children and eight grandchildren. Last Saturday, 21 December 2026, Elizabeth passed away. Next month, March, she would have turned 72. She had been fighting cancer, first diagnosed in July, last year. She will be remembered for her love, courage, humour and devotion to God. It is with deep sorrow that I write this tribute. Yet even as we mourn her passing, we must also celebrate her life – a life marked by commitment, grace, strength and quiet achievement. As the saying goes, “Those who live in the hearts of others never truly die.” Elizabeth Lobulu lives on in the lives she touched, the family she nurtured and the legacy she helped build. May the Lord grant her eternal rest.
