Tanzanian president John Pombe Joseph Magufuli died on March 17, which is an interesting coincidence because that date marks the global celebration of Saint Patrick, the fifth century missionary who brought Christianity to Ireland. As an end date to this life of service, it was certainly fitting. Magufuli was unabashedly Christian and was certainly evangelical in his commitment to Tanzania’s cultural, spiritual, political and economic growth and development.
To call him controversial would be an understatement. There are few ho hum opinions in conversations about who Magufuli was and what he meant. There were a number of instances where Western media outlets referred to him as the Donald Trump of Africa. This despite no evidence that he enriched himself at the expense of the state or that he tolerated corruption at any level. He also took a lot of heat for his response to the Covid-19 crisis.
Upon the announcement of his death, one of the more prominent narratives about his life and times ties his legacy to his scepticism about Western strategies to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. Fair enough, anyone can have their opinion. But, in all fairness, that’s not the whole story.
The Covid-19 controversy aside, during his first term he slashed government salaries (including his own) to increase funding for hospitals, and increased allotments of HIV/Aids medication. In 2015 he cancelled Independence Day celebrations and used the money to launch an anti-cholera initiative.
Healthcare has been one of the Magufuli administration’s top priorities, in part evidenced by the fact that life expectancy in Tanzania has increased every year during his time in office.
Like those before him, from the late great Julius Nyerere to Ali Hassan Mwinyi, the late Benjamin Mkapa and Jakaya Kikwete, he built on the foundation he was bequeathed. Tanzania is poised to continue its growth and development as one Africa’s most stable democracies because Magufuli took seriously the responsibility to build on that legacy.
Having chosen a Muslim woman from Zanzibar as his running mate, Tanzania holds the distinction of being the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to have a Muslim woman ascend to the presidency. That the transition has been seamless is a testament to the vision of Nyerere for democracy in Tanzania and the values that undergird it. Nyerere’s vision and values were things to which Magufuli was faithful until the end.
I was in Tanzania recently. Obviously, one of the hot topics of conversation was Magufuli’s whereabouts and health. One response I offered was that regardless of what was happening with Magufuli personally, politically Tanzania would be alright. That it has been is a testament to Magufuli’s faithfulness to the legacy he was left.
Beyond politics, Magufuli leaves the country in good shape economically. Despite Covid-19, Tanzania was one of the few countries in the world to have a positive economic growth rate in 2020. Not only that, Tanzania achieved middle income status five years ahead of schedule. The infrastructure improvements from roads to airports position Tanzania to continue its growth trajectory.
One of the things that endeared him most to the average Tanzanian was his relentlessness in attacking corruption. The difference that it made in dollars and cents is hard to quantify, but the one thing that is measurable is the greater confidence in government it inspired at the grass roots level.
One could legitimately conclude his handling of the coronavirus crisis was, at least, clumsy. But, on some things he was on point. As the World Bank concluded in June 2020, Africa should “not copycat Western responses to the pandemic”. Before that pronouncement Magufuli rightly concluded that if he shut down Tanzania’s economy, those depending on the informal sector to earn a living would undeniably suffer.
Starving people feed a pandemic. That those at the bottom were able to earn a living put Tanzania on much better footing than those countries that put those most vulnerable in more jeopardy because of policies like lockdowns.
Given that Magufuli died on Saint Patrick’s Day, does that make him a candidate for sainthood? Likely not. Having said that, he was a good and faithful servant. Beyond the Covid-19 commentary, I believe Tanzanian history will be much kinder in its assessment of what the Magufuli presidency meant. At the end of the day, that’s as it should be.
• Stith, the non-executive chair of the Johannesburg-based African Presidential Leadership Centre, served as US envoy to Tanzania during the Clinton administration.
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