NAIROBI, Kenya – President John Magufuli of Tanzania, a populist leader who downplayed the severity of the coronavirus pandemic and pushed his country away from democratic ideals, died on Wednesday in a hospital in the port city of Dar es Salaam. He was 61 years old.
His death was announced on television by Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who said that Magufuli died of cardiac complications while being treated at Mzena Hospital. The announcement came after more than a week of intense speculation that Magufuli was seriously ill with Covid-19 – reports that senior government officials have repeatedly denied.
Hassan did not specify the nature of Magufuli’s underlying disease in his brief comments on television, but said he had suffered from chronic atrial fibrillation for more than a decade. She said the flags would be raised by personal means across the country and preparations for the funeral were underway.
Mr. Magufuli, a trained chemist, was first elected in October 2015 on an anti-corruption platform. He was initially praised for his efforts to boost the economy, contain unnecessary spending and upgrade Tanzania’s infrastructure.
But the leader, popularly known as “the Bulldozer”, was soon accused of muzzling dissent, reversing freedom of expression and association and forcing the passage of laws that strengthened control of his ruling Revolutionary Party.
This marked a sharp departure from its two immediate predecessors who had promoted the East African nation as a peaceful, business-friendly democracy.
During his first term, the Magufuli government banned opposition rallies, revoked the licenses of non-governmental organizations and introduced laws that critics said were repressing independent journalism. He also said that pregnant girls should not be allowed into school.
Human rights groups have accused their government of failing to carry out credible investigations into the murders, kidnappings and harassment of journalists who criticized the government and opposition figures.
While Magufuli was seeking a second term last fall, officials hampered the campaign by opposition parties, froze bank accounts of civil society groups, denied accreditation to election observers and journalists and refused to allow opposition representatives to enter polling stations.
On polling day, at least 10 people died when violence broke out in the semi-autonomous Zanzibar archipelago, after citizens said they saw soldiers handing over marked ballots.
Mr. Magufuli won the election with 84 percent of the vote amid accusations of fraud and widespread irregularities. Tundu Lissu, the main opposition candidate who was running for him, was accused of trying to overthrow the government and had to leave the country. He remains in exile in Belgium.
Last year, Magufuli was heavily criticized at home and abroad for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. He protested against masks and social detachment, promoted unproven remedies as cures and said that God had helped the country to eliminate the virus.
Tanzania has not shared data on the coronavirus with the World Health Organization since April and has reported only 509 cases and 21 deaths, figures widely viewed with skepticism.
As vaccine distribution began worldwide, Mr. Magufuli discouraged the Ministry of Health from securing doses for Tanzania.
“Vaccines don’t work,” he said in a speech to an unmasked crowd in late January. “If the white man could invent vaccines, then AIDS vaccines would have been brought. Tuberculosis vaccines would have made that a thing of the past. Malaria vaccines would have been found. Cancer vaccines would have been found. “
These statements were condemned by both the World Health Organization and the Roman Catholic Church in Tanzania. Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, urged the government of Tanzania to prepare the infrastructure to distribute doses, writing on twitter, “Science shows that #VaccinesWork.”
In February, the United States Embassy in Tanzania warned against “a significant increase in the number of Covid-19 cases” and warned that “limited hospital capacity across Tanzania can result in life-threatening delays in medical care for emergency”.
Mr. Magufuli’s death came just days after speculation that he was sick with the virus. Rumors started to spin after Lissu, the opposition figure in exile, said the president had Covid-19 and was being treated at a hospital in neighboring Kenya.
Lissu asked the authorities to reveal the whereabouts of the president, who had not been seen in public for almost two weeks. Mr. Magufuli did not attend a virtual summit for East African regional bloc leaders on February 27.
Tanzanian officials rejected the rumors and said that Magufuli was working normally.
John Pombe Joseph Magufuli was born on October 29, 1959, in the Chato district of northwest Tanzania. He holds a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Dar es Salaam, according to the website of the presidential office. In 2009, he obtained a doctorate in chemistry from the same university, according to the website.
Before becoming president, he was a member of the Tanzanian parliament and held several positions in the cabinet. He developed a reputation for fighting corruption by working in cabinet positions, including as minister of land, fisheries and public works.
Mr. Magufuli leaves his wife, Janet, a primary school teacher; and two children.