The tomato yellow leaf curl virus infecting tomato plants in Tanzania is reported to be different from the Old World geminiviruses. A study was initiated to investigate the transmission properties of the virus such as, acquisition feeding time, inoculation feeding time, persistence of virus in the vector, mechanical inoculation, seed and graft transmission. Results obtained indicate that the virus is transmitted persistently by Bemisia tabaci Genn., but neither mechanically – nor seed-transmissible. Minimum acquisition and inoculation time was 30 minutes. It is concluded that the properties of the agent causing the yellow leaf curl symptoms in tomato plants from different regions of Tanzania are similar and mimic those of tomato yellow leaf curl Begomovirus species studied elsewhere.