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Felex Share recently in DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania
President Mugabe, who is also the African Union chairperson, yesterday led several continental leaders who witnessed the swearing-in of Tanzania’s fifth president, John Pombe Magufuli.

The ceremony was held at the Uhuru Stadium, which was packed to the brim by supporters of the victorious Chama Cha Mapinduzi party which ushered in independence to the East African country in 1961.

Also to take oath office before Chief Justice Othman Chande yesterday was Magufuli’s running mate, Samia Suluhu Hassan, who becomes Tanzania’s first woman vice president.

Fellow African presidents who joined President Mugabe included Jacob Zuma (South Africa), Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Edgar Lungu (Zambia), Filipe Nyusi (Mozambique), Joseph Kabila (Democratic Republic of Congo) and Prime Ministers Hailemariam Desalegn (Ethiopia) and Sibusiso Dlamini (Swaziland).

As has become the norm at most occasions, the stadium reverberated upon people seeing President Mugabe’s escort vehicle, whose number plates were marked Zimbabwe on the giant monitor mounted in the stadium. The rapturous scenes continued until the AU chief took his seat.

Magufuli (56), took over from Jakaya Kikwete who has served the maximum two five-year terms stipulated in the constitution. Kikwete bade farewell to the Tanzanians in style, receiving a 21-gun salute from the unformed forces before inspecting a parade, signalling the end of the fourth government under his leadership.

Magufuli, a chemistry teacher, won the October 25 general election with 8,8 million votes (58, 46 percent) defeating his closet rival and former CMM stalwart Edward Lowassa who managed just over six million votes (39,97 percent).

Lowassa left CMM in July after failing to get a nomination for the leadership and headed a coalition of four opposition parties.

He has refused to accept the election results, alleging the electronic system used to tally the votes had been manipulated.

However, various African and international observers, including the African Union and the European Union, endorsed the elections saying they were carried out in a “competent and largely efficient manner”.

The United Nations has also legitimised the polls, concluding they were done in an orderly and peaceful manner.

In his acceptance speech, which was in Swahili and lasted less than ten minutes, Magufuli focused on unity saying it was vital to the development of Tanzania. “You were not opposition to me but competitors,” Magufuli said.

“Now that elections are over, let us work together to achieve whatever we promised to the people. Tanzania is a larger entity than any individual’s desire. Candidates who competed during the election process should unite with me in building this nation. No desire will exceed the size of our country.”

He added: “I know there are opposition members in here and know that campaigning time is over and there is only one President, who is me. Let us be one to achieve development.”

He commended the security sector for maintaining peace during the election period, expressing optimism that the political crisis in Zanzibar would be resolved amicably.

The United Republic of Tanzania is a union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar established in 1964 and the latter elects its own president and parliament. In the recent elections in the Zanzibar islands, the situation was more confrontational after the opposition leader, Seif Sharrif Hamad declared himself elected before results were announced.

The Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC), the only entity with the authority to announce the results, annulled the election citing gross irregularities.

ZEC said in some cases the number of ballots cast exceeded the registered voters. Hamad has been vice president in the Isles in a power sharing agreement with incumbent president, Ali Mohamed Shein of the CCM.

Said Magufuli: “I recognise the people of Zanzibar and hope that their differences will be sorted out peacefully. We need to put God first as we set on this new era and work together.”

Meanwhile, President Mugabe returned home yesterday evening and was welcomed at Harare International Airport by Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa and several Cabinet Ministers.