14 October 1999
Former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere, the father of Tanzanian independence and a symbol of Africa's hopes as it emerged from the shadow of European colonial rule, died today in London. He was 77.
By Rodrique Ngowi, The Associated Press
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — Former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere, the father of Tanzanian independence and a symbol of Africa's hopes as it emerged from the shadow of European colonial rule, died today in London. He was 77.
Nyerere led the drive for the independence of his East African nation from British rule and became the country's first president in 1962.
Unlike most African leaders who spearheaded the great wave of independence struggles that swept the continent, he was never jailed or persecuted.
Known affectionately throughout Africa as Mwalimu, or “teacher” in Swahili, Nyerere stepped down as president in 1985 after 23 years in office to devote his time to farming and diplomacy. He worked tirelessly to negotiate an end to the violence that has wracked central and southern Africa in the past decade.
Most recently, Nyerere tried to mediate an end to the civil war in neighboring Burundi, where more than 200,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since 1993.
Rid Africa of Idi Amin
Although he was harsh with his critics and detained some indefinitely without trial, Nyerere never acquired notoriety for human rights abuses.
Nyerere wrote eight books mainly on development and socialism in Africa and Tanzania in particular. He also translated William Shakespeare's plays Julius Caesar and The Merchant of Venice into Swahili.
In 1979, Nyerere defied the Organization of African Unity and sent troops to Uganda, claiming it was in retaliation for dictator Idi Amin Dada's deployment of troops to northwestern Tanzania. But Nyerere's real aim was to rid Africa of Amin. He succeeded.
In a continent known for corrupt leaders who live lavishly off state coffers, Nyerere lived modestly. After he retired, parliament hastily passed a law granting him a pension.
Nyerere was among only a handful of African presidents to voluntarily leave office. He also foresaw the futility of single-party rule in Tanzania as the clamor for democracy swept the continent following the collapse of communist regimes in Eastern Europe and Russia.
Nyerere had no qualms discussing Africa's technological and economic backwardness in the 20th century.
“People have gone to the moon and we are still trying to reach the village and the village is getting farther [away],” Ali Mazrui, a Kenyan political scientist, quoted Nyerere as saying.
Felled by a Stroke
Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa made the announcement on state radio. Nyerere had been diagnosed with leukemia in August 1998 and had been under treatment in London's St. Thomas´ Hospital since September.
The hospital would not immediately confirm the report. But an official at the Tanzanian High Commission in London, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Nyerere died today of leukemia.
The official said he had no information on funeral arrangements or when body would be taken from the hospital.
On Wednesday, doctors in London said Nyerere had suffered a massive stroke from which he would not recover. Reports a day earlier said he was brain dead.
In announcing Nyerere´s death, Mkapa called on Tanzanians to “maintain unity at this time of grief.”
“I know the death of the father of the nation will shock and dismay many,” Mkapa said. “There are many who fear that national unity will disintegrate, the union will falter and our relations with our neighbors will deteriorate following the passing of Nyerere. But Nyerere has built a sustainable foundation for national unity, the union and relations with our neighbors.”
A Roman Catholic, Nyerere was married and had eight children.
A Socialist at Heart
In 1964, Nyerere engineered the union of Tanganyika and the Indian Ocean islands of Zanzibar and Pemba to create the United Republic of Tanzania. The following year, he established single-party rule.
The party formally adopted socialism as the country's ideology, but with an African twist: All rural development would be centered on villages. Private banks and many industries also were nationalized.
Long after retirement, Nyerere conceded socialism had failed in Tanzania, but he never apologized.
Mkapa said a state funeral would be held for Nyerere in Dar es Salaam, and he will be buried at his home village of Butiama in western Tanzania near Lake Victoria.
U.N. Mourns Nyerere
UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 14 — Diplomatic business took a back seat to grief today as the U.N. community learned of the death of former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere.
“Shocked and saddened” didn't begin to describe it. As each of the U.N. agencies rushed to put out a statement saluting Nyerere's litany of accomplishments, his death was described by several diplomats and civil servants as “one of those moments which makes time stand still.”
And indeed it did. The day's General Assembly session opened with a moment of silence for Nyerere, commonly known as Mwalimu, or “Teacher” to his country and friends.
Remembering him as one of the giants of the 20th-century African liberation movement, UNICEF officials called Nyerere's greatest achievements creating a universal curriculum of tolerance in the Tanzanian school system and teaching children concepts frequently overlooked in their violence-ridden neighbor states — love, respect and decency.
“In the process, Tanzania became a country where human life is valued and peace is treasured,” a UNICEF statement said.
But for many at the United Nations, it was the infectious laughter and humor Nyerere carried alongside his wisdom that will be missed the most.
Last year during a trip to South Africa, Secretary-General Kofi Annan asked his friend Mwalimu how he would bring peace to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“He laughed,” Annan recalled today upon his arrival in London from a trip to Kosovo. “He threw his head back and said, ‘You should tell me — you are the U.N. secretary-general.´ Then he gave me very good advice. He was a great man, friend, and teacher.”
— Elise Labott
Late Tanzanian president Julius Nyerere's vision, burning desire for justice and commitment to Africa's interests were an inspiration to a whole generation of African leaders, former president Nelson Mandela said on Thursday.
The 77-year-old father of Tanzanian independence died on Thursday in a London hospital.
"The freedom of his country, the liberation of other oppressed peoples and the unity and decolonisation of the African continent were part of a single struggle for a better world," Mandela said in a statement.
Mandela said he counted himself as privileged to have been among the first South African freedom fighters to have been received by Nyerere in Tanzania when the liberation struggle sought that country's help to fight the apartheid regime.
"One thinks with humility of the contribution that he made to the liberation of our continent and to freedom in South Africa.
"Even after he had stepped down from public office in his own country, we benefited from his leadership and wise counsel, in pursuit of development, peace and justice not only in our countries, our region and our continent, but throughout the world," he said.
Although the nation mourned the loss of a friend, leader and comrade in arms, there was comfort in the knowledge that Nyerere's efforts had made it possible for the people of South Africa to strive for the goals the country shared with him and his people, Mandela added.
The best way to pay tribute to African statesman and late Tanzanian president Julius Nyerere was for the continent's people to re-commit themselves every day to the cause of peace, stability and a better life for all, President Thabo Mbeki said on Thursday.
Flanked by Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Zuma and Provincial Affairs and Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi, Mbeki described Nyerere's death as loss for the "continent of Africa as a whole".
Nyerere was a pillar of strength to oppressed people all over the world and was admired for his wisdom, his intellect and integrity.
Nyerere served as a source of great inspiration to efforts towards Africa's rebirth, Mbeki said.
"He was one of the wise sons of Africa who guided our journey towards placing Africa in her rightful place in the world."
At the height of his career, Nyerere had dedicated himself to the upliftment of his people and remained committed to justice and equality.
Mbeki said the national flag would fly at half mast countrywide from Friday to Tuesday in memory of Nyerere.
On whether he would attend Nyerere's funeral or send a representative, Mbeki said: "Hopefully there will not be an engagement, here or elsewhere, which would make it difficult for us to attend. It would be a very good thing if the president of SA could attend."
The death of former Tanzanian president Julius Nyerere marked the end of an era in African politics, Pan Africanist Congress leader Stanley Mogoba said on Thursday.
In a statement issued after news of the veteran 77-year-old statesman's death earlier in the day at a hospital in London, where he was undergoing treatment for leukaemia, Mogoba said Nyerere had stood head and shoulders above his contemporaries.
"He was a model leader, very humble and selfless."
Nyerere - who stepped down as his country's leader 14 years ago - was a great thinker and revolutionary leader, and it would take a long time before Africa again saw a leader of his calibre, he said.
The African National Congress, in its reaction, said it was indebted to Nyerere's memory for the unflinching support he had offered during the struggle against apartheid rule and for freedom and democracy.
"He was an outstanding leader, a brilliant philosopher and a people's hero, a champion for the entire African continent," it said in a statement issued by ANC national spokesman Smuts Ngonyana.
The ANC was devastated at the news of his death and was weeping in memory of "this giant amongst men".
Azanian People's Organisation leader Mosibudi Mangena said Nyerere's death robbed Africa of one of its father figures, along with his talents, wisdom and moral leadership.
His death was a great loss because he had played an important role in the politics of the continent, particularly the liberation struggle, he said in a statement.
The United Democratic Movement also expressed its sadness, and said Nyerere was an important architect and a guiding light in the African revolution, and a champion of human rights and democracy within that revolution.
"South Africa has lost an important source of moral lessons in our quest for transformation and democratic consolidation," UDM foreign affairs spokesman Masilo Mabeta said in a statement.
Democratic Party leader Tony Leon said the DP extended its sympathy to Nyerere's family and to the people of Tanzania.
"The former president will be remembered for his many pioneering initiatives, not just in Tanzania, but throughout Africa," he said in a statement.
The New National Party also expressed its condolences with the people of Tanzania.
"Although his socialistic policies in the sixties nearly destroyed Tanzania's economy, he played an important conciliatory role on the continent during the last number of years," NNP foreign affairs spokesman Dr Boy Geldenhuys said.
Nyerere's death was a serious setback for the peace process in Burundi where he played an important part as facilitator to bring about consensus among 18 political parties.
The U.N. General Assembly stood in silent tribute Thursday to Julius Nyerere, who led Tanzania to independence and was honored as a world leader and one of Africa's great freedom fighters.
U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette said "he was `Mwalimu,' or `Teacher,' to us all." The U.N. Children's Fund said his greatest accomplishment was forging a country which transcended ethnicity where "every child learned that love was preferable to hate."
Nyerere, who had been diagnosed with leukemia in August 1998, died Thursday in London at the age of 77.
Namibia's Foreign Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab, a former guerrilla fighter who is now president of the General Assembly, announced his death to the hushed chamber, saying it was a deep personal loss.
"I, too, was a beneficiary of Mwalimu's political tutelage and of Tanzania's generosity," he said. "They provided me a free haven when I fled my own country Namibia in 1972 to escape South Africa's brutal colonialism.'
Calling Nyerere a "venerable world leader and one of Africa's most charismatic and respected elder statesmen," he said, "The Tanzanian people have lost the father of the nation, the courageous leader of their independence struggle and the architect of the United Republic of Tanzania."
"The African people as a whole have lost an ardent pan-Africanist, a man of high principles, a man of self-abnegation and the champion of Africa's self-determination, liberation and independence," Gurirab said.
"Without Dr. Nyerere's firm guidance and steadfast support, the struggle for liberation, particularly in southern Africa, would have been even more difficult and divisive within the ranks of the Organization of African Unity, the Non-Aligned Movement and other freedom-loving forces in the world," he said.
Gurirab then asked the 188-member General Assembly to stand for a minute in silent tribute to Nyerere.
Frechette, who was in the assembly chamber, called Nyerere "an architect of the Organization of African Unity and one of the giants of the 20th century African liberation movement."
"His death takes from us a good friend and a tireless supporter of the United Nations," she said.
UNICEF echoed this sentiment, saying Nyerere's death silenced "a voice which, uninterrupted for five decades, never abandoned principle, never abandoned purpose, never abandoned vision."
While his accomplishments were formidable and touched everyone on the African continent, UNICEF said his greatest accomplishment may be that "Tanzania became a country where human life is valued and peace is treasured."
"When you recognize that so many of the surrounding nation states are riven by horrendous ethnic and tribal division, what Nyerere accomplished seems almost miraculous," UNICEF said in a statement.
Ivor Powell, Mail & Guardian, 15 October 1999
Obituary
It could hardly have come as a surprise to many when former Tanzanian president Julius Nyerere died in St Thomas' hospital in London on Thursday, but many, especially Pan Africanists, were saddened by his passing.
Nyerere, aged 77, finally breathed his last in the middle of Thursday morning after being described as "brain dead" two days earlier following a massive stroke.
He was admitted to St Thomas' for leukaemia treatment on September 9. The disease had been diagnosed in August 1998.
Announcing Nyerere's death, current Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa called on Tanzanians to "maintain unity at this time of grief. There are many who fear that national unity will disintegrate, the union will falter and our relations with our neighbours will deteriorate," he said.
Nyerere led his country's largely peaceful and orderly independence from Britain in 1961 and subsequently became one of the leading proponents and founding members in 1963 of the Organisation for African Unity
An educator before he turned to politics, Nyerere earned the nickname of Mwalimu ("teacher"), a role he played with enthusiasm, especially in his home village of Musoma on the shores of Lake Victoria.
He set himself apart in a continent where lavish and excessive lifestyles are the norm for the governing elite by living modestly, even neglecting to organise a pension for himself on his retirement from office.
Initially elected to the Tanganyika legislature in 1958, Nyerere was instrumental in bringing about the union of that territory with Zanzibar and Pemba islands to form the present-day Tanzania in 1963.
Though Nyerere was fondly remembered as a benign humanist and visionary in his latter years, his Tanzania was one of the earliest and least successful one-party socialist states in Africa. He was the author of one of the most disastrous exercises in politico-economic engineering yet embarked upon in the African context.
His ujaama programmes of forced collectivisation of peasant agriculture reduced the country to penury long before he stepped down as president. The current revival of Tanzania's economy from the devastation of the 1980s is regarded as one of the World Bank's major African success stories.
Nyerere stepped down as president in 1985 to devote himself to farming and pursue his vision of a Pan Africanist union via international diplomacy. He played a central role through his Nyerere Foundation in attempts to bring peace to the Great Lakes region.
Recently his foundation has been involved in as yet unsuccessful attempts to mediate a solution to the ongoing civil war in Burundi - where more than 200,000 people have died since 1993.
His illness led to delays in the already complex and difficult peace talks in Burundi which have broken down alarmingly in recent weeks. Now his death could open the way to controversy over who should succeed him as chief negotiator.
Nyerere will be given a state funeral and buried in his home village.
PARLIAMENT, 20 October 1999 Sapa
Deputy President Jacob Zuma and representatives of all parties in the National Assembly paid warm tribute to former Tanzanian president Julius Nyerere on Wednesday.
The House unanimously adopted a motion expressing its deepest condolences and support to his family and the people of Tanzania.
Nyerere died last week.
Zuma said he had been "one of the giants" of the African continent.
His name permeated all the significant moments of the continent's development from its colonial past, and he had played a key supportive role in South Africa's path to freedom.
"The best way to remember Mwalimu is to continue the struggle to free all Africans, from hunger and starvation; from homelessness; from diseases that are killing millions of our people; from joblessness; illiteracy, conflict and war; from tyranny and from oppression," Zuma said.
Speaker Dr Frene Ginwala said Tanzania, under Nyerere, had hosted thousands of exiles from Southern Africa.
Africa would be the poorer for his death.
Democratic Party foreign affairs spokesman Colin Eglin said Nyerere had been deeply committed to the development and upliftment of Tanzania's people, and to the liberation of Southern Africa's people from colonialism and racism.
He had realised in the course of time that his policies of resettling millions of peasant farmers and of a one-party state had not worked as well as he had hoped, and had become more pragmatic.
Today Tanzania was a healthy multi-party democracy, Eglin said.
The Inkatha Freedom Party's Joe Matthews, deputy minister of safety and security, said Nyerere had been a "very bold and imaginative" leader.
Dr Boy Geldenhuys, New National Party foreign affairs spokesman, said that apart from his opposition to apartheid, Nyerere had also "taken up the battle axe" against human rights abuses in other parts of Africa, such as by Idi Amin in Uganda.
He had possessed the rare quality of being an honest politician.
But his removal of 14 million peasants to communal villages had all but destroyed Tanzania's economy.
Lucas Mbadi, of the United Democratic Movement, said Nyerere had had the honesty and courage to admit these policies had failed.
20 October 1999 Sapa
President Thabo Mbeki, deputy president Jacob Zuma, Cabinet ministers, opposition party leaders and MPs packed the 160-year-old St Mary's Cathedral in Cape Town on Wednesday to pay tribute to former Tanzanian president Julius Nyerere, who died last week.
The memorial service - the second in three days attended by the country's leading politicians - was also attended by Western Cape premier Gerald Morkel and his Eastern and Northern Cape counterparts, Makhenkhesi Stofile and Manne Dipico.
Opposition party leaders, including the DP's Tony Leon, the NNP's Marthinus van Schalkwyk and the UDM's Bantu Holomisa, also paid their respects.
National Assembly Speaker Dr Frene Ginwala and ANC MPs Reggie September and Makhosazana Njobe read extracts of Nyerere's writings, while the University of Cape Town provided the choral music.
Mbeki, who delivered a eulogy at Monday's service in Pretoria, will also attend Nyerere's state funeral service in Dar-Es-Salaam on Thursday.
Pan Africanist Congress president Stanley Mogoba, whose organisation's members, along with those of the ANC, spent many years in exile in Tanzania, will also attend the funeral.