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Tanzania's President John Magufuli was nicknamed "Bulldozer" because of his authoritarian leadership style
Photo: STR / AFP
Tanzania's President John Magufuli has died.
The news agency Reuters and the African media report unanimously.
The 61-year-old had succumbed to a heart condition, said Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan in a TV speech.
Magufuli died in a hospital in the city of Dar es Salaam.
Previously, the head of state had not appeared in public for more than two weeks, which had led to speculation about Magufuli's corona infection.
The president, nicknamed the "bulldozer" because of his authoritarian style of government, claimed last year that the coronavirus could not penetrate the body as long as you pray hard enough and eat well.
In May Tanzania stopped publishing the number of new infections and unceremoniously declared the country Covid-free.
Government denied the president's illness
According to the AP news agency, government officials denied that the president was ill until last week.
The president continues to work normally and the citizens should ignore rumors from abroad, it said at the time.
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fek / Reuters / AP