Julius Nyerere

Julius Nyerere

Julius Nyerere was the first president of the republic of Tanzania. He became president of in 1960 after it had attained independence. He reformed Tanganyika and the islands of Zanzibar and united them into Tanzania. So now this country is called the United Republic of Tanzania.

Nyerere was committed to African liberation. He offered sanctuary in Tanzania to members of African liberation movements from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Angola, and Uganda, and in 1978 he sent Tanzanian troops to depose Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. Tanzania hosted the African Liberation Committee from its inception in 1963.

Tanzania gave land and other assistance to the African National Congress of South Africa for its headquarters in Morogoro, and for the Solomon Mahlangua School and other projects.

Julius Nyerere and Nelson Mandela

Julius Nyerere is regarded as hero because he critised so much about the segregation of human practice in South Africa. He fought so hard in such a way that apartheid in South Africa came to end.

He emphasized that the boycott is really a withdrawing of support which each one of us gives to the racialists in South Africa by buying their goods. There is a very real sense in which we are part of the system we despise, because we patronize it, pay its running expenses.

His role against apartheid activities make him to be remembered as hero because all his plan were successful and now the community of south Africa regard him as a dead hero. For example, On June 26, 1959, Mr. Nyerere, then President of the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) and Prime Minister of Tanganyika, was the principal speaker - along with Father Trevor Huddleston - at a meeting in London which launched the Boycott Movement. (It was re-named Anti-Apartheid Movement in 1960.)

Memorial

The South African government, thanking him the great work he did for them, held a memorial service whereby many government bodies from South Africa came and gathered. Among them were Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma and others.

He is a hero in South Africa because he disagreed with the western countries, which were supporting the South African apartheid government, and later appealed to them to not buy products such that they change the racist policies they were practicing.

He is a hero because he was the first prime minister and president of the Republic of Tanzania, after they got independence from the British.

Finally Nyrere died on the 8th of December of leukemia, in a hospital in London.

"He died far from the Africa he had loved and given his life to. Nyerere was a great man; a man whose name you could mention in the same sentence with Mandela’s and not be embarrassed." In Motion Magazine

And up to now his name is still sounding and is being named as the dead hero due to his great work he did for the whole community of Africa especially South Africa.