Thousands of Tanzanians continued to pay tribute to the late President John Magufuli. At a public ceremony in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city, they collapsed with sorrow when they learned of Magufuli’s demise.
Last week, John Magufuli died unexpectedly from heart failure, according to authorities.
Mourners lined Dar es Salaam’s streets to pay their respects to the late president, crying and tossing flower petals as the casket was driven from a church to Uhuru Stadium, where it is laid to rest.
Many wore black or the ruling party’s green and yellow colors, but few in the Covid-skeptic nation wore face masks inside the stadium or among the crowds outside.
“It is far too soon for you to depart. You had an impact on our lives, and we always needed you. “Beatrice Edward, one of the mourners, expressed her condolences.
“We lost our defender,” said another tradesman, Suleiman Mbonde.
Magufuli, 61, died of a heart condition at a hospital in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday, the government announced. He had been missing from public view for three weeks.
His unexplained absence fueled speculation that the well-known Covid skeptic was receiving coronavirus treatment overseas. Tundu Lissu, the prominent opposition leader, claims his sources say Magufuli died a week ago from a disease he had previously dismissed.
Magufuli claimed that prayer had cured the nation of Covid-19, rejected face masks or lockdowns, halted the publication of case statistics, and promoted alternative medicine, calling vaccines “dangerous.”
However, as the number of cases increased in February, the president, also known as the “Bulldozer,” admitted that the virus was still circulating.
While Hassan claims she will continue where Magufuli left off, expectations are high that she will usher in a change in leadership style from her predecessor, with all eyes on her handling of the pandemic.
Hassan, a soft-spoken veteran politician, will call a special meeting of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party on Saturday to discuss a new deputy’s appointment.
According to the constitution, the 61-year-old will complete Magufuli’s second five-year term, which will end in 2025. She has declared 21 days of mourning. The late president will be laid to rest in several places across Tanzania before being buried in his hometown of Chato on Friday.
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