Hailed as Africa’s most beloved president upon election 16 months ago to lead East Africa’s second largest economy, the conversion of Tanzanian head of state John Magufuli from an exemplary leader to the so-called typical African despot has been dramatic.
Nicknamed ‘The Bulldozer’ for his tremendous work ethic, he received global acclaim after one of his early acts as the country’s fifth president was to participate in a street cleaning exercise that endeared him to many, particularly after an image of him riding back to his office on a bicycle was beamed around the world.
Magufuli also won plaudits for his commitment to cleansing the country of corruption and extravagant spending by government in the midst of economic problems and ridding the country of thousands of ghost workers drawing vast salaries from government monthly.
That was in line with an election campaign the Chama Cha Mapinduzi candidate built on his image as a no-nonsense, corruption-fighting man of the people. But, dramatically, an increasingly dictatorial Magufuli’s reputation is tattered by a series of crackdowns.
A few months after assuming office, Magufuli stopped the live broadcast of parliamentary proceedings, stating that government could no longer afford it. All political rallies are banned until 2020 so the country, according to him, focuses on work.
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