By Judith Matanire
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared September 15 a public holiday, to be known as Munhumutapa Day, in recognition of the historic Munhumutapa Empire.
The declaration was made through Statutory Instrument 148 of 2026, published in the Zimbabwe Government Gazette Extraordinary dated September 9, 2026.
According to the notice, September 15 will be observed as Munhumutapa Day every year henceforth.
However, the choice of date is likely to attract debate as September 15 is also President Mnangagwa’s birthday. The President was born on September 15, 1942, in what was then Southern Rhodesia.
The Munhumutapa Empire was a powerful Shona state that flourished from the 15th to the 18th century, with its influence extending across large parts of present-day Zimbabwe and neighbouring territories.
The new public holiday adds another date to Zimbabwe’s official calendar of national holidays and will provide an opportunity to commemorate the country’s pre-colonial history and heritage.
The declaration was made in terms of Section 2(2) of the Public Holidays and Prohibition of Business Act [Chapter 10:21].
