Two
conjoined sisters, who became famous when they began their studies at a
Tanzanian university last September, have died at the age of 21 following a
long
illness, the president of the east African nation announced on Sunday.
Maria and
Consolata Mwakikuti, who were joined at the abdomen, become minor celebrities
in Tanzania where the media had closely followed their path through high
school.
Their
admission to the Ruaha Catholic University in Iringa in September 2017 had
marked a first in a country where disabled people are often marginalised or
abandoned at birth.
They had
begun a course in education with a view to becoming teachers in history,
English and Swahili, when they became ill in January, notably suffering from
cardiac problems.
“I am
saddened by the death of twins, Maria and Consolata. When I last visited them
at the hospital they prayed for the nation. My condolences to their family…
Rest in peace my children,” President John Magufuli tweeted.
After an
apparent improvement in their health, the sisters continued their treatment at
a hospital near their university, where they died on Saturday.
The twins
were abandoned by their mother after the death of their father, and later taken
in by a Catholic mission.
In an
emotional statement on state television last July, Maria urged parents not to
“hide or lock up their handicapped children”.
“They must
know they as human beings, handicapped or not, are equal and have the same
rights,” she said.
At the time,
the sisters, who enjoyed knitting and cooking together, thanked the teachers
who helped them through high school, as well as the government who provided a
vehicle to take them from their home to school each day.
“We didn’t
expect this day to come, it is by the grace of God that we are here today,”
said Consolata, the chattier of the two, on their admission to university.
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