Tanzania’s President, Samia Hassan, has announced the country’s finance minister to serve as her Vice President in line with his commitment to puts a new team in place following the sudden death of her predecessor John Magufuli.
The former president was buried on Friday after a week in which tens of thousands came out to pay their respects around the country, leading to a stampede in Dar es Salaam which left 45 dead on March 21.
Magufuli, 61, a Covid-sceptic who had just begun a second term in office, was said by authorities to have died of a heart condition on March 17 after a mysterious absence, however, the opposition insists he had coronavirus.
His successor Hassan, the country’s first female president, on Tuesday, announced her choice of finance minister, Philip Mpango, as her deputy, which was endorsed by all members of parliament. He would be sworn on Wednesday.
Mpango, a former economics lecturer and senior economist at the World Bank, in February caused alarm on social media when he appeared coughing and gasping at a press conference outside a hospital to dispel rumors he had died of Covid-19.
He told parliament on Tuesday he would ensure Magufuli’s many infrastructure projects were completed and would “work tirelessly in helping the president to remove our people from poverty.”
Richard Mbunda, a political science lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam, said Mpango’s appointment was a surprise but “we needed someone a bit neutral like him to avoid divisions within the ruling party.”
Magufuli was hailed for his fight against corruption and massive infrastructure projects but was criticised for the stifling of democracy and crackdowns on the media, civil society, and the opposition.
His legacy is also marred by his Covid denialism, which saw Tanzania refuse to issue data or take any measures to curb the spread of the virus.
Hassan has vowed to “start where Magufuli ended” and all eyes are on potential changes to the country’s policies and openness regarding Covid-19.
