John Magufuli Dies at 61

John Magufuli Dies at 61 – Tanzanian President , one of the African figures who most doubts the threat of the coronavirus, has died at the age of 61, Samia Suluhu Hassan the Vice President announced on Wednesday march 17.

President Magufuli breathed his last after more than two weeks of not being seen in public, sparking speculation about his health condition. Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan said Magufuli died after suffering from heart disease for a decade. The vice president said the funeral ceremony was being arranged. He also announced 14 days of mourning and requested that the national flag be raised at half-mast.

Once he told a maskless crowd that “Vaccines don’t work,”.

Magufuli First elected in 2015, he pushed his East African nation deeper into authoritarianism.

State television broadcast mourning songs as well as religious nuances. Since February 27, Magufuli has not been seen in public again, sparking rumors that he has actually been exposed to COVID-19. Officials on March 12 denied Magufuli was sick. And on Monday (15/3), Vice President Hassan asked the Tanzanian people not to heed the rumors from abroad. He said that it is normal for someone to be checked for flu or fever. Magufuli was Tanzania’s first president to die while in office.

Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said on Friday that he had spoken with the president. Prime Minister Majaliwa accused a handful of Tanzanians abroad of being “full of hatred” of fabricating stories about Magufuli’s disease. Tundu Lissu, Magufuli’s main rival in the October 2020 presidential election, which the president won for a second term, previously suspected that the Tanzanian president had been flown to Kenya for COVID-19 treatment and then transferred to India in a coma.

African figures John Magufuli Dies at 61

He was nicknamed “Bulldozer” because of his impulsive attitude despite facing opposition. It has also frustrated the World Health Organization (WHO) during the pandemic by downplaying the threat of COVID-19. According to Magufuli, the Tanzanian people will be protected by God and with various solutions, such as inhaling steam. The former chemistry teacher scoffed at coronavirus tests and denounced the vaccine, which he saw as part of a Western conspiracy to take African wealth.

Magufuli opposes the use of masks and physical distancing restrictions. Tanzania stopped reporting coronavirus data in May 2020. By then, the country had reported 509 cases and 21 deaths, according to the WHO, which has urged the Tanzanian government to be more transparent.

Source of John Magufuli Dies at 61 : Reuters