Jaffer Somji

Mukhi Jaffer Somji

Town of birth

• Bagamoyo

Country of birth

• Tanzania

Date of Birth

• 1874

Date of Death

• 1940

Place of Death

• Tanga

Place of longest stay

• Bagamoyo

Profession or occupation carriedout for the longest period in life

• Business

Where-City or Country

• Tanga

Family tree

Parents

Somji Khakhuani Mawji Bhimani

Siblings

Abdulrasul Somji Khakhuani

Nasser Somji

Sakina Somji

Partners

Fatima Damji Virjee

Shireen Jaffer Somji

Children

Abdulali Somji

Abdulrasul Jaffer Somji

Hassanali Jaffer Somji

Ismail Jaffer Somji 1901–1982

Kassamali Jaffer Somji

Mithoo Somji

Sadrudin Jaffer Somji

Born in 1874 Bagamoyo

Somji Khakhuani Mawji Bhimani(Born in Bharapur).

Jaffer Bhai was a scion of the old Somji Khakhauni business family, that was well-established by the time of the German rule in East Africa.

Jafferbhai was appointed as a financial secretary(in today’s term, a Finance Minister) of German East Africa during German rule in Tanganyika in the then capital Bagamoyo.

The German Colonial Handbook 1908 mentions the firm of "Jafar Simji" as represented in Iringa & Songea in 1908.

According to John Illiffe (see below), 1000 Indians & family followed German settler, Capt. Tom Prince to Iringa in 1898. But the the German Colonial Handbook Supplement 1904 omits this entire fact. So the firm may have arrived earlier but are recorded as being there in 1908.

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  German Colonial Handbook 1908

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  German Colonial Handbook, page 1 1908

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  Indian Traders Iringa 1908

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  Indian Traders in Songea 1908

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  Indian Settlement Iringa- John Illiffe- A short History of Tanganyika pg 140

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  Jaffer Somji's children, nieces, and nephews.

According to the community records, Jafferbhai Somji was Mukhi(Chief Custodian) of the Tanga Khoja Ismaili Jamatkhana between 1921-1922.

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  List of all Mukhis & Kamadia, Tanga 1905-1932.