Zimbabwe President Declares Birthday Public Holiday

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared September 15, his birthday, a new public holiday to be known as Munhumutapa Day, state media reported.

The proclamation was made through Statutory Instrument 148 of 2026, under the Public Holidays and Prohibition of Business Act, according to the state-run Herald newspaper.

“This notice may be cited as the Public Holidays and Prohibition of Business (Declaration of Public Holiday) Notice, 2026,” reads the notice.

Zimbabwe Extends Mnangagwa’s Presidency to 2030 (NewsCentral TV) — Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Credit:
Daily Sabah.

“It is hereby declared that the 15th of September every year henceforth, shall be a public holiday to be known as Munhumutapa Day.”

Munhumutapa Day commemorates the Mutapa Empire, a pre-colonial Shona kingdom that flourished between the mid-15th and mid-17th centuries in territory that includes modern-day Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

The holiday declaration comes two months after Mnangagwa signed into law constitutional amendments that abolished direct presidential elections and extended presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years.

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Jimisayo Opanuga

Jimisayo Opanuga is a web writer in the Digital Department at News Central TV, where she covers African and international stories. Her reporting focuses on social issues, health, justice, and the environment, alongside general-interest news. She is passionate about telling stories that inform the public and give voice to underreported communities.