[ad_1]
Thousands of mourners have been passing by the coffin of former Tanzanian President John Magufuli, who died on Wednesday at the age of 61.
His coffin, draped in the national flag, is in state at the Uhuru Stadium in the main city of Dar es Salaam.
Opposition politicians say that Magufuli contracted Covid-19, but this has not been confirmed.
He was a Covid skeptic who sometimes denied that the virus had affected Tanzania.
Magufuli’s coffin was brought to the stadium on Saturday in a procession led by his successor, Samia Suluhu Hassan.
He will be taken to several different locations for the public to see before his burial in his hometown of Chato on Friday.
Magufuli was the son of a peasant and became president of Tanzania in 2015.
Some neighbors wept and threw flowers on the coffin that was dropped by a military vehicle on Saturday.
President Samia, who took office on Friday, led the government procession in which many dressed in black or green and yellow to represent the colors of the ruling party.
She is Africa’s only current female national leader (Ethiopia’s presidency is a largely ceremonial role) and joins a short list of women on the continent who have led their countries.
The government announced Wednesday that Magufuli had died of a heart condition after being missing from the public for several weeks.
His position on the coronavirus ranged from stating that it did not exist in Tanzania to saying that the country had beaten the pandemic through prayer.
Source: BBC
| Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com does not accept any legal or other liability for the accuracy of the content. Please inform us of any inappropriate content and we will evaluate it with priority. |
featured video
