Tanzanian President John Magufuli passes away at 61

 Magufuli, who usually made weekly public appearances at Sunday church services, had been missing from the public eye for almost three weeks since February 27th, fueling speculations that he was ill. 

Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli passed away at the age of 61 years on March 17, 2021. The news was shared by the Tanzanian government.

Tanzanian Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan shared, "It is with deep regret that I inform you that today on the 17th of March, 2021 at 6:00 pm we lost our brave leader, the President of the Republic of Tanzania, John Pombe Magufuli." 

The Vice President said that the President had died of a 'heart condition' which he suffered for almost a decade at a hospital in Dar es Salaam.

According to Hassan, the President had first been briefly admitted to the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute on March 6th but was subsequently discharged. He, however, again felt unwell and rushed to the Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital in Dar es Salaam on March 14. 

Hassan added saying that the funeral arrangements are underway and that Tanzania will be in mourning for 14 days, during which all the flags shall fly at half-mast. 

Speculations over COVID-19 infection

•The news of Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli's death comes amid speculation about his possible infection with COVID-19.

•Magufuli, who usually made weekly public appearances at Sunday church services, had been missing from the public eye for almost three weeks since February 27th, fueling speculations that he was ill. 

•The opposition leaders had claimed that he caught the COVID-19 virus and that he was seeking treatment abroad.  

About John Pombe Magufuli

•John Pombe Magufuli was elected as a member of Parliament for the first time in 1995. 

•He gained popularity in 2020 when he was appointed Tanzania's minister for works and transportation for the second time.

•He was popularly nicknamed the "Bulldozer" due to his bullish leadership style and fight against graft scandals in the road construction industry.

•He had run for President for the first time in 2015 and was re-elected in a vote in 2020. The Elections were called fraudulent by opposition presidential candidate Tundu Lissu.

•Magufuli's lean government and cost-cutting measures earned him great respect among Tanzanian citizens. In 2015, he had suspended the country's independence celebrations and urged citizens to clean up their communities to fight a cholera outbreak.

•During his terms, Magufuli also expanded free education, rural electrification and invested in infrastructure projects such as railways, the revival of the national airline and a hydropower dam set to double electricity output.

•His government also passed several laws to increase Tanzania's stake in its mineral resources and demanded millions in back taxes from foreign mining companies.

•Magufuli came in on the platform of fighting corruption and empowering the masses. However, several human rights groups abroad had accused him of trampling on basic rights such as freedom of press and expression. He was called out for crushing democracy in one of Africa's most stable nations.

•In 2020, his government had introduced a new law, which made it a punishable offense for local media to publish international content without authorisation.

Criticism over COVID-19 handling

•Magufuli also faced criticism for downplaying the severity of the COVID-19 virus. He had also slammed the national laboratory saying that he had submitted a variety of fruit and animals to be tested for the virus in May 2020 and that a papaya, quail and goat had tested positive.

•Tanzania had stopped sharing updates on COVID-19 infections and deaths after the President claimed that people were getting false-positive results. The nation had last shared coronavirus figures in May 2020, wherein 509 people were confirmed to have contracted the virus and 29 had died.

•Magufuli had also reportedly championed prayer instead of face masks. He had also declared that the country would remain open for business.

•The late President had said, "I don't expect to announce even a single day that we are implementing a lockdown because our God is still alive, and he will continue protecting us Tanzanians."

•He had also claimed in one of the public addresses that "there is no Covid-19." He had said, "That's why we are all not wearing face masks here. You think we don't fear dying?"

•However, after the first vice president of semi-autonomous Zanzibar Seif Sharif Hamad reportedly succumbed to coronavirus in February, Magufuli began to acknowledge that the virus did exist. He had also started acknowledging the severe risk of contracting the virus.

•Tanzania's Health Ministry had later issued instructions urging citizens to observe COVID prevention protocols. 

What Next for Tanzania?

John Pombe Magufuli's death has plunged Tanzania into political certainly. As Magufuli had largely dominated Tanzania's politics since his election in 2015, his death is expected to leave a political vacuum. 

As per Tanzania's constitution, Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan will become Tanzania's new President. She will become the first-ever female president of the country. 

She will be required to consult the ruling CCM party over the appointment of a new vice president.