Dito's mysterious death: a divine judgment or...?

A former deputy minister and regional commissioner, Ukiwaona Ditopile Mzuzuri, has died. He died yesterday morning at Hilux Hotel in Morogoro, where he was on a business tour. A lot of questions have been raised with regards to his unexpected death. Were the divine forces at work to judge the man who, to many common citizens (wananchi), appeared to have it all easy-going with the manslaughter charges he was facing? (The manslaughter charges were in connection with the fatal shooting of a commuter bus (daladala) driver in Dar es Salaam on November 4, 2006.)

No one can tell what went through Dito's mind when he pulled that trigger last year and took away the life of that young man. Was it unintentional or was it determined and driven by pride? Manslaughter or murder? We're told in Ps. 68:5 that "a father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, [is] God in his holy habitation." With this in mind, many are compelled to ask whether or not God took upon Himself vengeance to ensure that justice prevails even amidst a corrupted and unjust society? Only God, who reads the hearts of men, really knows! We neither have the prerogatives nor the authority to judge the late Ditopile's tragedy as a divine punishment or not. For even if it was murder, who knows whether this man had reconciled with his God? But his death certainly leaves us all with a very important lesson to embrace. And that is: neither money, nor power nor influence can buy you life.

King Nebucadnezzar spent 7 years in the wilderness living as a beast among the beasts of the wild, before he learned that his magnificent kingdom could not afford him the life nor respect that he desired - none but God. King Herod Agrippa in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, having exalted himself above the Most High, was consumed by worms . These men, and many more learned this all-important lesson from experience. And you and I reading this blog today have the opportunity to learn from them. So, what should we do? If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men (Rom. 12:18). Your love for those around you and your love for God will earn you not just a happy and peaceful life here on earth, but also assurance of your inheritance in the world to come.