By Reuters Staff
4 Min Read
NAIROBI, Feb 17 (Reuters) - A senior Tanzanian politician died of COVID-19 on Wednesday, his party said, adding to concern about a hidden epidemic running rampant in a country that insists it has no local transmission of the disease.
The president of Tanzania’s semi-autonomous Zanzibar archipelago, Hussein Ali Mwinyi, announced the death of Zanzibar’s first vice president, Seif Sharif Hamad, on television, without saying the cause.
But Janeth Rite, deputy secretary for ideology and publicity of Hamad’s opposition ACT-Wazalendo party, told Reuters: “He has died of COVID-19.”
A day earlier, the party’s leader, Zitto Kabwe, tweeted: “Denying the truth about the spread of the coronavirus in Tanzania, and therefore not urging the public to take precautions to protect themselves, has led to a lot of people getting sick, hospitals becoming overwhelmed and the elderly and others losing their lives.
The pastor reassured his followers they would be spared infection.
“This virus is caused by the devil, and we will not die because we have the son,” said Mayunga, referring to Jesus Christ. A chorus of “Amens” rang out in response from the congregants.
“In the name and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, I command coronavirus and all powers of darkness to leave your people.”
Mayunga then made a snake-like hiss and laid hands on his congregants, asking the “coronavirus devil” in them to come out or to say the name of Jesus. One woman fell on her back and claimed to have manifested symptoms of COVID-19 such as a headache and shortness of breath.
Prezident Tanzanie tvrdil, že covid neexistuje Teď leží na ventilátoru zpravy.aktualne.cz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from zpravy.aktualne.cz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.