When they said African States cannot become middle-income economies within a single presidential term, they did not see Magufuli coming—President Chakwera

* When they said infrastructural projects in Africa cannot be completed on time and on budget, they did not see Magufuli coming

* John Pombe Magufuli was a man who ran with a vision and a mission in his calling

By Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express & Patricia Kapulula, Mana

In his eulogy at Tanzania’s State Funeral, Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera described fallen President John Pombe Magufuli as one of Africa’s finest sons and no one expected such sudden departure.

He was very poetical in his eulogy at Jamhuri Stadium in Dodoma on Monday, saying: “166 days ago, President John Pombe Magufuli and I had dinner together at the State Residence in Dar es Salaam, but I did not know that it would be our last supper.

“The following day, he saw me off the apron of Julius Nyerere International Airport, but I did not know that it would be our last goodbye.

“Today, I join you all in a state of shock and grief at the passing of one of Africa’s finest sons because none of us saw it coming. This ability to let no one see his next move coming, which we find unsettling in his death, is also what we found inspiring about his life.

“When they said laziness and sloth in public service cannot be cured, they did not see Magufuli coming.

“When they said the cartels of corruption strangling Africa’s governments cannot be defeated, they did not see Magufuli coming.

“When they said African States cannot become middle-income economies within a single presidential term, they did not see Magufuli coming.

“When they said infrastructural projects in Africa cannot be completed on time and on budget, they did not see Magufuli coming. When they said the only way to pursue our development is to follow the failed prescriptions of foreign financial institutions that have left Africa more impoverished and in debt than they found it, they did not see Magufuli coming.

“To us who had the privilege of knowing the unpredictable Magufuli, the example of his life of service shall forever be a launching pad for our own. To us who have the honour of going through this world as Africans, Magufuli’s love of country shall forever be a light on that pilgrimage.

“To us who have been entrusted with governing the nations of our beautiful and rich continent, Magufuli’s leadership shall forever move us out of complacency.

“It is right for us to hold him in this regard. John Pombe Magufuli was not just an icon. He was a hero. May his name be preserved in every Capital of Africa as a symbol of the kind of resolve that will create the Africa we want.

“May his work be venerated in every village as an example worthy of our imitation. And may his soul rest in eternal peace as he meets with his God, with whom we hope to one day see Magufuli coming.

“My deepest condolences to all of you.”

Before departure at Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) in Lilongwe for Tanzania on Monday morning, President Chakwera described the late President as a man who ran with a vision and a mission in his calling.

“He was a man whom I related with so well. He was a man who ran with a vision and a mission because he knew that he had a special ministry,” he said.

The President called upon the people of Tanzania to forge ahead in creating a Tanzania that the late Magufuli wanted.

“I believe that the Tanzanians will not only accept this, but move on to achieve and be a kind of people that Magufuli always wanted them to be,” said the president.

Other African presidents that attended the funeral included South African Cyril Ramaphosa, Zambian Edgar Lungu, Zimbabwean Emerson Mnangagwa, Kenyan Uhuru Kenyatta and from Comoros, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Magufuli will be buried in his native home in Chato district in Geita region on March 26.

Magufuli, 61, died of heart disease Wednesday at the Emilio Mzena Hospital in the business capital Dar es Salaam.