Tanzania– On 17 March’2021, Wednesday Dar es Salaam, Tanzanian President John Magufuli died aged 61 from a heart condition, after his forced years of captivating authoritarian rule when he refused to take Covid-19 seriously.
About-John Pombe Joseph Magufuli
He was a Tanzanian politician who was the President of the Republic of Tanzania from 2015 until he died in 2021. It was commonly called «Bulldozer». He was also Minister of Works, Transportation and Communications from 2000 to 2005 and 2010 to 2015. In that period, he was President of the Southern African Development Community from 2019 to 2020.
Talking about back in the 90s, he was elected as the first Member of Parliament in 1995 and served in the Cabinet of Tanzania as Deputy Minister of Works from 1995 to 2000. There were so many titles and authorities that he assumed over the course of his life and turned out to be the head of the country.
His Ruling
After taking responsibility, his administration took a lot of steps, he immediately began to impose measures to restrain government spending. For example, prohibit unnecessary foreign travel by the government, using cheaper vehicles and onboard rooms for transport and meetings separately. He has also abandoned his sponsorship of a World AIDS Day exhibition to buy AIDS drugs and deter lavish events.
On top of that, he even reduced his salary from $15,000 to $4,000 a month. He was a very thoughtful person, and the things he did and started were all in the best interests of his country and his people. He suspended the country’s Independence Day celebrations and launched a cleanup campaign to reduce the spread of cholera, and personally participated in the campaign. All funds saved would have been spent on hospital renovations and sanitation in the country.
Present- 2021
He died of an ill heart condition. He was missing for almost three weeks, stoking wild rumors of his sickness, with even opposition leaders claiming he had contracted the virus, and attacking indirectly on his refusal of covid-19.
Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan said- “It is with deep regret that I inform you that today on 17th March, 2021 at 6:00 pm we lost our brave leader, the President of the Republic of Tanzania- John Pombe Magufuli”
She added- he died of a chronic atrial fibrillation characterized by an abnormal heartbeat, which he had suffered from for a decade, at a hospital in Dar es Salaam. He had first been briefly admitted to the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute on March 6 but was discharged.
She declared a 14-day mourning period.
Meanwhile, the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted- he was sorry to hear of the president’s death. Moreover, the United States Department expressed their condolences and said- “We hope Tanzania can move forward on a democratic and prosperous path”.
Lastly, losing a leader is one of the biggest losses for any nation all over the world. It becomes tough for the authorities to move forward at the same pace. As the mind and skill behind all decisions is no longer here among them. But, it’s a universal truth to move and to flourish no matter what comes in between. We think that Tanzania will soon overcome this loss and move on the right path for the betterment of its people.
