John Magufuli - The African Mirror

Mar

2021

21 gun salute send-off for Magufuli

WITH a 21 gun salute, a military fly past and thousands in attendance, Tanzania today buried John Pombe Magufuli, the first president to die in office in 60 years. Magufuli was buried in Chato, his birthplace, in a ceremony that capped a week of activities that included his body was taken to Tanzania’s major towns so that ordinary people could pay their respects. Nicknamed the 'bulldozer' for driving through policies against resistance, Magufuli was reviled by the opposition for what it said were brutal crackdowns on political adversaries. Admirers hailed his aggressive anti-corruption stance, championing infrastructure expansion and push to…

Mar

2021

By The African Mirror

Magufuli hailed by African heads of states

NEWS

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER LOVED at home, criticised by the west and hailed by leaders some Africans states. That is the legacy of the late Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli who died six days ago from heart failure. There has been an overwhelming outpouring of public grief by thousands of emotional Tanzanians, who have lined the streets and filled stadiums where they went to view and pay their last respects to a president who was popularly known as “The Bulldozer”. Magufuli has been labelled a COVID-19 denialist after he rejected measures such as lockdowns and instead called for prayers to deal…

Mar

2021

By The African Mirror

Tanzania’s new president pushes for unity, hope

NEWS

TANZANIA’S new President Samia Suluhu Hassan has pleaded for unity and no finger-pointing after the death of John Magufuli, her COVID-19 sceptic predecessor. Hassan urged the east African country to look forward with hope and confidence. Wearing a red hijab, she took her oath of office on the Koran in a ceremony at State House in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam. She is the first female head of state in the country of 58 million. Vice president since 2015, Hassan gave a brief and sombre address after she was sworn in, addressing a heavily male crowd that included two…

Mar

2021

By The African Mirror

OBITUARY-Tanzania’s ‘Bulldozer’ president and a COVID-19 sceptic

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

TANZANIA’S late President John Magufuli, was admired by followers for his hostility to corruption and waste but regarded by foes as an irascible authoritarian intolerant of dissent and sceptical about COVID-19. He was nicknamed "The Bulldozer" for his fondness for massive public works and a reputation for pushing through policies despite opposition - a hard-charging leadership style that won support from many Tanzanians. But he also attracted criticism at home and abroad for what opponents saw as his eccentric handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan announced that he had died of heart illness, days after officials…

Mar

2021

By The African Mirror

History-making Tanzanian 1st female president sworn in

NEWS

HISTORY was made in Tanzania and East Africa today when Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in as the country’s first female president. Hassan succeeded John Magufuli, who died two days ago. Hassan is regarded as a consensus-builder, a trait that may prove an asset in dealing with the various factions within the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party and security agencies following the announcement of Magufuli's death. "I don't speak in a forceful voice, like others," she told a BBC Swahili interview last year. "But to speak with someone in a way that they understand you, it's not necessary to…

Mar

2021

By The African Mirror

President of Tanzania John Magufuli dies

NEWS

TANZANIA’S President John Pombe Magufuli has died. His death was disclosed tonight by Tanzania's Vice President Samia Sulhu Hassan in a special address on state television. Hassan said Magufuli succumbed to a heart disease. The announcement came days after speculation grew that Magufuli, 61, a vocal COVID-19 sceptic, is ill with the coronavirus, though government officials had claimed that Magufuli was working normally and citizens should ignore rumours from outside the country. Hours before the announcement, Hassan, on a visit, had said Magufuli had asked her to remind them to maintain peace and develop the region. "...I would like to…

Mar

2021

By The African Mirror

Tanzanians should be told about Magufuli’s health, opposition says

NEWS

AN opposition leader says Tanzanians have become fearful due to lack of information about the health of President John Magufuli, who has not been seen in public for more than two weeks, and citizens had the right to know about his condition. Speculation in East Africa is rife that Magufuli, 61, a vocal COVID-19 sceptic, is ill with the virus, though his vice president said on Monday that the country was safe and citizens should ignore rumours from outside the country. "It is important for the government to inform the public about the president's health to reduce ongoing fear," Zitto…

Mar

2021

By The African Mirror

‘He’s OK’: Tanzania denies Magufuli is sick

NEWS

DUNCAN MIRIRI and NYASHA NYAUNGWA TANZANIA’S President John Magufuli is in good health and working normally, two officials have said, after reports that he had flown abroad in critical condition with COVID-19. Magufuli, 61, is Africa’s most prominent coronavirus sceptic. He has not been seen in public since February 27. Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who left for Belgium after disputing his election defeat to Magufuli last year, has said the president was flown to the private Nairobi Hospital in neighbouring Kenya and then to India in a coma. However, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa denied that, blaming the narrative on…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

W.H.O. rings Tanzania COVID-19 alarm bells

COVID-19

THE head of the World Health Organization has urged Tanzania to share information on its measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic, saying the authorities there had repeatedly ignored his requests. President John Magufuli's sceptical approach towards COVID-19 has caused alarm among WHO officials. A government spokesman told Reuters on February 12 that Tanzania had "controlled" the outbreak, but it stopped reporting new coronavirus infections and deaths in May last year. At the time it had registered 509 cases and 21 deaths. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said yesterday that Tanzanians testing positive for COVID-19 abroad underscored "the need for Tanzania…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

Africa begins vaccines, Tanzania told to trust science

NEWS

GEORGE OBULUTSA Some African nations have begun administering vaccines against COVID-19, regional health officials said, though Tanzania's dissenting president was singled out for his trust in alternative remedies and God. John Nkengasong, director of the African Union (AU) bloc's disease control and prevention body, said a few countries had begun vaccinating: Morocco, Egypt, Seychelles and Guinea. "Guinea is very limited, just about 50 to 60 vaccinations have occurred. But these other countries have started mainly with the vaccine from China," he told an online briefing. In addition to 270 million doses previously secured, the AU has signed an agreement with…