Grief and relief: Tanzania reels from death of divisive Magufuli

Some Tanzanians wept on Thursday for President John Magufuli, seeing him as a defender of the poor, while others hailed the end of his iron-fisted rule, in a sign of the complex legacy he leaves behind.

The East African nation was left reeling after the 61-year-old's sudden death, after weeks of uncertainty and rumours over his health as he disappeared from public view.

"I did not sleep since learning of his death last night. It's difficult to replace Magufuli who favoured poor people like me," said Bernard Mathias, who stood at a newspaper stall in Dar es Salaam.

Magufuli was born on the shores of Lake Victoria, where he grew up in a grass-thatched home, herding cattle and selling milk and fish to support his family.

"I know what it means to be poor," he often said.

His humble background and no-nonsense, anti-corruption attitude won him the hearts of many Tanzanians, even as his slide into autocracy and stifling of democracy and free speech alarmed rights groups.

"I feel very sad and I am suffering because we had our leader, our president whom we loved and he loved us, the poor," said street vendor Innocent Tionoke.

Another hawker, Hassan Sayid, described him as "the president of the less privileged".

As flags flew at half-mast and a 14-day period of mourning began, life continued much as usual in the country's financial capital.

"Grief" and "Nation Mourns" were among the headlines on some newspapers, and both private and state broadcasters ran shows about Magufuli's history and legacy and played songs of mourning.

While Magufuli was loved by many for his expansion of free education, rural electrification and massive infrastructure projects, analysts said his hostile approach alarmed investors.

Meanwhile inflation soared, job creation stagnated and aggressive tax collection hurt the private sector.

This along with a crackdown on the opposition, media, civil society, homosexuality and even pregnant school girls, meant some were not too sad to see him go.

- 'Time to celebrate' -

A trader who gave his name as William said Magufuli's policies had "killed my businesses," adding it was "time to celebrate."

"No regret... We have prepared a cow to slaughter and this is the day I was waiting for. I do not mourn him but people who died during his regime," said William.

Activist Maria Sarungi wrote on Twitter: "Writing RIP is not suitable to me, I don't like hypocrisy. I say #ByeMagufuli. That's it."

Ringisai Chikohomero, a researcher with the Institute of Security Studies (ISS), told AFP before last year's election that the mixed support of Magufuli pointed to "dichotomy between bread-and-butter issues and civil liberties" in the country.

"Someone will say, if I have food on the table, if I can send my kids to school, if I can go to work, what is this freedom you are talking about?"

A key legacy of Magufuli's will be his refusal to accept the seriousness of Covid-19 and take measures against it.

While authorities said he died of a heart condition, opposition leader Tundu Lissu said his sources had told him Magufuli had coronavirus.

"What should I say? It is poetic justice. President Magufuli defied the world on the struggle against corona... He defied science... And what has happened, happened. He went down with corona."