Tanzanian President John Magufuli Dies
John Magufuli, 5th President of the United Republic of Tanzania. (Wikimedia Commons)
"It is with great regret that I inform you that today, 17 March 2021, at 18:00, we have lost our courageous leader, President John Pombe Magufuli of Tanzania," Tanzanian Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan announced solemnly on Tanzanian national television. She added that the 61-year-old president had passed away due to heart complications.
Ever since the president failed to show up to his regular Sunday church service on February 27, the public had been left guessing Magufuli’s whereabouts. Hassan confirmed that Magufuli had been hospitalized since March 6 but did not comment on the circumstances surrounding his health at that time. His death on March 17 marked the 18th consecutive day that Magufuli had not been seen in public.
Adding fuel to the fire, the Tanzanian government actively suppressed rumors questioning Magufuli’s health in the weeks leading up to his death. A man was arrested in Dar es Salaam On March 15 for circulating posts claiming that Magufuli was in ill health. In a press briefing following the arrest, Regional Police Commissioner for Kinondoni Ramadhani Kingai declared, “There are a lot more who have been spreading false statements. We will arrest them all.”
On the same day of the March 15 arrest, Tundu Lissu, Tanzania’s main opposition leader tweeted from exile in Belgium, “VP Samia suggested today that the Dictator is sick somewhere. My own sources in the Tanzania Secret Service and Intelligence say he’s on life support with COVID and paralyzed on one side and from the waist down after a stroke.” While Lissu’s statements about Magufuli’s condition remain unconfirmed, suspicions of a COVID-19 infection have spread like wildfire across the African continent.
Tanzania has become infamous during the COVID-19 pandemic for ceasing all forms of testing and rejecting any and all vaccines. Nearly a year from when Tanzania had declared itself free from the COVID-19 virus by an act of God, pressure has been mounting regarding the legitimacy of these claims. Despite reporting zero infections, Seif Sharif Hamad, the Vice President of the semi-autonomous region of Zanzibar, died on February 17 due to complications from COVID-19. Hamad’s death, in tandem with unmet demand for ventilators and respirators, has deepened worries of an outbreak in the country. The country has been thrown into even greater confusion given the lack of specificity surrounding the cause of Magufuli’s death and medical treatment over the past two weeks.
Magufuli leaves behind a complicated legacy of reform and repression. Early on in his presidency, he received the nickname “The Bulldozer” for his hardline policies against corruption and his commitment to revitalizing Tanzanian infrastructure. Additionally, Magufuli cracked down on unnecessary government spending and rolled out universal primary education across the country. His presidency has also been marred by the suppression of opposition parties, anti-LGBTQ+ policies, freedom of speech violations, and, more recently, the categorical denial of COVID-19 in Tanzania.
Zitto Kabwe, leader of the opposition party ACT Wazalendo, released a statement asking the Tanzanian people to “pray for patience and understanding” during this unprecedented time. Per the Tanzanian Constitution, Hassan will be sworn in and serve out the remainder of Magufuli’s term, which expires in 2025.