Zimbabwe declares Mnangagwa’s birthday public holiday

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has proclaimed September 15, his birthday, a new public holiday, the state-run Herald newspaper reported.

The public holiday will be known as Munhumutapa Day and will be observed annually to celebrate the Mutapa Empire, a pre-colonial Shona kingdom that covered parts of present-day Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

According to a government notice, the holiday is intended to symbolise a link between the historical Mutapa Empire and Zimbabwe’s current development drive.

The Herald quoted a senior government official as saying the declaration celebrates both historical and present-day achievements.

The announcement comes after Mnangagwa signed constitutional amendments into law in July that abolished direct presidential elections and extended the tenure of the president and parliament from five years to seven.

Parliament approved the amendments, which effectively extend Mnangagwa’s current tenure to 2030. Under the revised system, presidential elections by public vote have been scrapped, with lawmakers now responsible for choosing the president.

Mnangagwa, 83, has ruled Zimbabwe since 2017, following the military-backed removal of his predecessor, Robert Mugabe, who died in 2019.

The government notice did not indicate whether the new holiday would replace any existing public holiday.

SOURCE: MRA