DAR ES SALAAM, March 14 -- PARTS of the country have recently suffered from heavy rains. This is reported in the Custodian (12 March), in a frontpage story titled: “Many homeless, roads disrupted, as flash floods paralyse regions”.

Property damage has been extensive, but a District Commissioner in one of the badly affected areas, AM, is reported to have confirmed: “having BEEN no fatalities, praising rescue teams for their swift response” What does: “having been no fatalities” mean?

Two ideas come to mind: The DC did not witness any fatalities herself; or, she had not heard, from other people, of there being any fatalities. We can re-write the sentence thus: “The DC confirmed having SEEN no fata...