Where is Tanzania’s President John Magufuli? On Tuesday, it is 17 days since the 61-year-old has been seen in public, and despite a scream of rumors of ill health, the Tanzanian authorities have not yet provided clear answers as to his whereabouts. The issue alone is now leading to arrests as the government tries to curb rumors. And analysts say the silence says.
“I think whatever happens … it’s absolutely true that the regime is trying to buy time,” said Nic Cheeseman, a professor of democracy at the University of Birmingham. “And it only makes sense for the regime to try to buy time if the president is very ill, incapacitated or dead.”
Magufuli last appeared in public on February 27, and the ardent Catholic has missed three Sunday services, where he often speaks to the congregation. Just days before, Finance Minister Philip Mpango appeared to be coughing and mocking at a news conference outside a hospital to dispel rumors that he had died of COVID-19.
Rejected by prayer
Magufuli’s absence comes from a series of high-profile deaths and illnesses attributed to “breathing problems” or “pneumonia”. Magufuli had insisted for several months that the virus was no longer present in Tanzania and had been averted by prayer. He refused to wear a face mask or take locking measures.
The country stopped releasing information on cases in April 2020. But a week before he was last seen, Magufuli admitted that the virus was still circulating, after the vice president of the semi-autonomous Zanzibar was revealed to have died of COVID-19. Last Tuesday, opposition leader Tundu Lissu, exiled in Belgium, and others began questioning Magufuli’s absence, citing sources saying he was seriously ill from COVID-19, aggravated by underlying health conditions.
“Tell the truth!”
On Monday, Lissu said on Twitter that his intelligence services “say he is terrified of COVID and paralyzed on one side and from the waist down after a stroke. Tell the truth to the people!” Among the theories in circulation is that Magufuli is seriously ill at a hospital in Kenya or India, while another suggests that he never left Tanzania at all.
Kenyan media have reported the presence of “an African leader” at a hospital in Nairobi in a clear reference to Magufuli, although government officials deny that he is present. The Indian Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Cheeseman said it was “remarkable” that the government has kept Magufuli’s abode “in the modern world of the internet and citizen reporting and social media.”
“But Tanzania does not live in the modern world. The level of media censorship means that Tanzania is not in that context.” The Tanzanian government has said very little, except to threaten those who spread rumors of imprisonment.
“Time to stay united”
On Friday, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said Magufuli was “strong and working as usual.” On Monday, Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan released a possible clue that the president is ill without mentioning him.
“Our country is now full of rumors from outside but it should be ignored … It is perfectly normal for a person to get the flu, fever or any other disease,” she said. “If we need to remain united, the time is now.”
Zitto Kabwe, the leader of the opposition party ACT-Wazalendo, said the government only allowed room for panic. “We know for sure that the president is ill, but we are surprised by the deepening silence on the issue,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
“We need to know who is currently leading the government through what constitutional powers.”
“Unnecessary confidentiality”
Meanwhile, Tanzanians say they want to see their leader in person. “I think something is happening but the authorities are hiding,” said Muhsin, a resident of the financial capital Dar es Salaam. “I will be comfortable if I see the president myself.” Clothing retailer Deborah said there was “unnecessary privacy.” “If our beloved president is really sick, they should tell the truth so we can put him in our prayers,” she said.
Magufuli came to power in 2015 as a non-nonsense, anti-corruption president nicknamed “Bulldozer” and was re-elected in a controversial vote last year. However, he has been accused by rights groups and of stifling democracy and cracking down on the media. As a result, the country’s journalists are too afraid to dig into history.
“It’s about surviving and telling the truth … you have to play it safe to continue to pursue or rush into this sensitive story and risk your license and most importantly your life,” said an editor of a privately owned Swahili newspaper on terms. of anonymity.
The government has also begun cracking down on people it accuses of spreading “rumors” that Magufuli is ill through social media and threatening to accuse them of cybercrime. So far, police have announced the arrest of one person in Dar es Salaam and two in the northern Kilimanjaro region to spread rumors.
“Instead of giving credible evidence that he is alive and well, they arrest innocent people who want to know the truth,” Lissu said.
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