John Heche, vice chairman of Tanzania's opposition party CHADEMA, testified on 9 September 2026 as the fifth defence witness in the treason trial of party leader Tundu Lissu at the Dar es Salaam High Court. According to Michuzi Blog, Heche told a three-judge panel led by Justice Dustun Ndunguru about events he said he witnessed during elections, which he claimed led the party to adopt its 'No Reforms, No Election' stance.

The defence team of Tanzanian opposition figure Tundu Lissu told a court that CHADEMA's 'No Reforms, No Election' campaign stemmed from what it described as systematic irregularities in the 2024 local government polls, according to The Chanzo. A deputy secretary general of the party testified that the alleged failures in those elections drove the party's decision to push its electoral reform stance. The testimony forms part of proceedings in Lissu's ongoing case.

A CHADEMA party leader testifying for the defence in the trial of Tundu Lissu conceded in a Dar es Salaam court on Friday that the party chairperson intended his April 3, 2025 speech to reach the Tanzanian public and that its purpose was to press the government to undertake legal reforms to the electoral system. According to The Chanzo, the admission came as prosecutors continued challenging the defence's account of the speech, which is central to the case against Lissu.

The defence in the treason trial of CHADEMA official Tundu Lissu introduced election-observer claims and accounts of arrests, according to The Chanzo. A deputy CHADEMA secretary general told the court that the excerpts underpinning the charges were taken out of context from a three-hour speech about reforms. The testimony forms part of the defence's effort to challenge the prosecution's framing of Lissu's remarks.

CHADEMA's communications chief Brenda Rupia told Tanzania's High Court that opposition figure Tundu Lissu did not publish the allegedly treasonous remarks at the center of his case. According to her testimony, the disputed excerpts were only a fraction of a much longer speech about reforms, and it was Jambo TV, not Lissu, that controlled the content it recorded and broadcast. The testimony challenges the prosecution's claim that Lissu was responsible for disseminating the statements.

CHADEMA deputy chairman John Heche appeared in court in Tanzania on September 10, 2026, to continue presenting his defense in the treason case against opposition figure Tundu Lissu, according to Global Publishers. The proceedings are part of a high-profile case involving the CHADEMA leader that has drawn significant public and political attention in Tanzania. Further details of the hearing were expected as the defense presentation continued.