John Magufuli served as the fifth President of Tanzania from 2015 until his death in 2021 and was chairman of the Southern African Development Community from 2019 to 2020. An Industrial chemist, Magufuli ventured into elective politics after a short period as a secondary school chemistry and mathematics teacher when he was elected as a Member of Parliament in 1995 for Chato district and served in different government position including twice Minister of Works Transport and Communications. Known ... moreJohn Magufuli served as the fifth President of Tanzania from 2015 until his death in 2021 and was chairman of the Southern African Development Community from 2019 to 2020. An Industrial chemist, Magufuli ventured into elective politics after a short period as a secondary school chemistry and mathematics teacher when he was elected as a Member of Parliament in 1995 for Chato district and served in different government position including twice Minister of Works Transport and Communications. Known as "The Bulldozer" for his tough stance against corruption, government spending and his hardline policies, Magufuli swept to victory in October 2015 as a candidate of the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), the country's dominant party.
Often accused for his autocratic tendencies during his presidency, Magufuli was famous for imposing measures to curb government spending, such as reducing his cabinet ministries, barring unnecessary foreign travel by government officials, using cheaper vehicles and board rooms for transport and meetings respectively, shrinking the delegation for international tours, suspending government related festivities in favor of progressive activities and reducing his own salary from US$15,000 to US$4,000 per month. He also ensured value addition by banning export of unprocessed ores, introduced free education for all the government schools, amended the laws governing the award of mining contracts in favor of locals, addition of half a dozen Air Tanzania planes as a way of reviving the national carrier, expansion of Port of Dar es Salaam among many initiatives. Following Magufuli's austerity measures, the hashtag "#WhatWouldMagufuliDo" was used by Twitter users to demonstrate their own austerity measures inspired by the president. The World Bank classified Tanzania as a middle-income economy for the first time in 2020, a feat achieved five years ahead of schedule. Tanzania’s increasing wealth was driven by domestic and foreign investments in infrastructure and agriculture.
Magufuli banned shisha smoking, citing its health effects among youth as the reason. Magufuli's government has been accused of repressing opposition, restricting freedom of speech and a crackdown on members of the political opposition. In late 2018, Magufuli initiated a nationwide crackdown against gays and lesbians with his health minister supporting the use of 'anal exams' to prove whether someone is having gay sex.
Magufuli dismissed the severity of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID 19) and urged voters to gather in churches and mosques to protect themselves against it. Following the death of the vice president of the semiautonomous island of Zanzibar from Covid-19, Mr. Magufuli for the first time in months asked Tanzanians to take precautions against the coronavirus, including wearing locally made masks. He quipped “This illness kills,” to worshipers after attending a church service in the capital, Dodoma.
Magufuli, 61, died of heart complications while being treated in Dar es Salaam’s Mzena hospital leaving behind a mixed legacy and questions over the leadership of his gold-producing nation. Speculation had been rife across East Africa for more than a week that Mr. Magufuli, a vocal Covid-19 skeptic, was critically ill with the coronavirus.
John Magufuli was survived by his wife Janeth Magufuli, a primary school teacher, and three children.
