SA mourns the death of Tanzanian President John Magufuli

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his deep sadness at the death of Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli.

JOHANNESBURG, March 18 (ANA) – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has on Thursday expressed his deep sadness at the death of Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli.

Magufuli died on Wednesday, March 17, 2021, in a Dar es Salaam hospital at the age of 61.

According to Tanzanian Vice-President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Magufuli died of heart disease that had plagued him for a decade.

In a statement, Ramaphosa said: “South Africa is united in grief with the government and people of Tanzania as they go through this difficult moment.”

Magufuli served as the fifth president of Tanzania and chaired the Southern African Development Community until August 2020.

Magufuli had not been seen in public for more than two weeks and citizens were asking questions about his disappearance.

Politicians tweeted last week that Magufuli had contracted Covid-19, but government officials denied those allegations and urged citizens not to listen to rumours, because their president was in good health.

In June last year, Magufuli declared Tanzania free of the coronavirus, stating that it had been eliminated by God, the BBC reported at the time.

He teased neighbouring countries which imposed health measures to curb the virus and urged Tanzanians not to wear masks.

“We need to be careful because some of these donations to fight coronavirus could be used to transmit the virus. I want to urge you Tanzanians not to accept donations of masks, instead tell the donors to go and use them with their wives and children,” the BBC quoted him as saying.

Tanzania stopped reporting coronavirus data in May last year, when it reported 509 cases and 21 deaths.

– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Yaron Blecher