The Zimbabwean government has declared 15 September, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s birthday, an annual public holiday known as **Munhumutapa Day**.
The declaration was made through Statutory Instrument 148 of 2026, published on Wednesday under the Public Holidays and Prohibition of Business Act.
According to Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), the regulation states that 15 September every year will be observed as a public holiday.
The government did not explain why 15 September was selected for the holiday or how the date relates to the country’s pre-colonial heritage.
The name **Munhumutapa** refers to the title used by rulers of the historic Mutapa Empire, a Shona kingdom that existed from the 14th to the 17th century.
The declaration means Mr Mnangagwa’s 84th birthday on 15 September will coincide with the new national holiday.
The move comes amid renewed questions over the president’s plans to remain in office beyond his current constitutional term. On Thursday, Mr Mnangagwa suggested that he expected to remain in public life beyond 2030.
“I will still be around; I do not know about you,” he was quoted as saying.
In July, Mr Mnangagwa signed into law constitutional changes that extended the presidential term from five to seven years, effectively moving the end of his current term from 2028 to 2030.
The changes have faced criticism from opposition groups and other government critics, particularly because Mr Mnangagwa had previously presented himself as a supporter of constitutional limits on presidential power.
The amendments also changed the way Zimbabwe’s president will be elected. Under the new system, voters will elect members of Parliament, who will then choose the president, replacing the system of direct presidential elections.
Critics have argued that the changes could strengthen the position of ZANU-PF, which has governed Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980.
Mr Mnangagwa became president in 2017 after the military-backed removal of long-serving leader Robert Mugabe. He won presidential elections in 2018 and 2023, both of which were disputed by opponents.
The new public holiday adds another national observance to Zimbabwe’s calendar while placing the president’s birthday alongside a commemoration linked to the country’s pre-colonial history.
