from MARCUS MUSHONGA in Harare, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Bureau
HARARE, (CAJ News) – EFFECTIVE immediately, September 15, Zimbabwe marks Munhumutapa Day, purportedly to celebrate a powerful empire that transformed Southern Africa between the 15th and 18th centuries.
The timing is nonetheless controversial, with President Emmerson Mnangagwa declaring it to be celebrated annually on his birthday after officially gazetting the day as a statutory public holiday through Statutory Instrument 148 of 2026.
He has turned 84 today, Tuesday, and this arguably is the most iconic day in the entire personal and political life of a divisive individual who has been a dominant figure, whose biggest achievement has thus far been assuming the presidency of Zimbabwe via a military coup in 2017 and two controversial elections later.
This decision has reignited debate over his legacy and the political symbolism surrounding his presidency of the Southern African nation.
Critics such as Prosper Gombiro view the move as Mnangagwa’s attempt to cement his place in Zimbabwe’s history and cultivate a dynastic image, drawing parallels with the centuries-old Munhumutapa kingdom whose name has endured through generations.
“As Mnangagwa marks another birthday, the new national observance raises questions over whether the president is building a legacy that could outlive his time in office,” he said.
This holiday, through its being linked to Munhumutapa, is arguably the most significant, with connotations to figures credited with liberating the country known as Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980.
The other holiday commemorating an individual is the Robert Gabriel Mugabe National Youth Day, celebrated on February 21 in honour of the first elected president.
It was first celebrated in 2018, a year after he was ousted in the coup and a year before his death in Singapore.
According to the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), the newly declared public holiday seeks to reconnect Zimbabweans with a history of African statecraft and civilisation stretching back centuries before colonial rule.
The party anticipated more than 100 000 people, including about 30 000 youths, to attend the commemorations in the Mvurwi area of Mashonaland Central Province.
However, thousands of their peers will not be home to “celebrate”, as they have fled the economic crisis blamed on the ZANU-PF government.
The Zimbabwe Consulate in Johannesburg, neighbouring South Africa, incurred the wrath of some when it announced it would not open in commemoration of the holiday.
“So, the man wants to crown himself tomorrow (Tuesday) as King Munhumutapa. Strange things are happening. The end is nigh,” Robert Bale commented.
Mnangagwa typically stops short of formally declaring himself the literal king of the ancient empire while invoking its name for state symbols.
His administration has renamed the country’s sovereign wealth fund the Mutapa Investment Fund, tightly linking his governance identity to the historic Zimbabwe kingdom heritage.
The president has successfully consolidated his power by leveraging a fractured, highly weakened opposition and his faction of the divided ZANU-PF dominating the former liberation movement.
The Mnangagwa family is influential in government, raising prospects of a dynasty.
A longtime ZANU-PF member, First Lady Auxillia has access to the presidency through this role, influence through her senior party role and grassroots political reach through her extensive public outreach programmes.
David Mnangagwa (son) was appointed Deputy Minister of Finance in 2023, as was Tongai (nephew), who was appointed Deputy Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry.
Another son, Sean, was earlier this year promoted from major to lieutenant-colonel in the army.
The Mnangagwas’ eldest son, Emmerson Jnr, is a businessman and is described as an influential figure in the ZANU-PF Youth League.
In July, Mnangagwa signed Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3) into law.
The term limit for the presidency has been lengthened from five to seven years, pushing the next harmonised elections back to 2030, originally expected in 2028.
The new holiday brings to 14 the number of national public holidays in Zimbabwe.
– CAJ News