Instead, he began courting Maria Gabriel, a teacher at Nyegina Primary School in Musoma; although from the Simbiti tribe, she shared with Nyerere a devout Catholicism. He proposed marriage to her and they became informally engaged at Christmas 1948
M’malo mwake, anayamba chibwenzi Maria Gabriel, mphunzitsi wa pa Nyegina Primary School ku Musoma; ngakhale kuti anali a fuko la Simbiti, adagawana ndi Nyerere Chikatolika chodzipereka. Anafunsira ukwati kwa iye ndipo adapanga chibwenzi pa Khrisimasi 1948