By Tapiwa Chawagarira
THE Government has formally declared September 15 as a public holiday, to be known as Munhumutapa Day, paving the way for annual national commemorations to be observed each year.
The declaration was made through Statutory Instrument 148 of 2026 — Public Holidays and Prohibition of Business (Declaration of Public Holiday) Notice, 2026, published in the Zimbabwe Government Gazette Extraordinary on September 9, 2026.
According to the statutory instrument, the President, in terms of Section 2(2) of the Public Holidays and Prohibition of Business Act [Chapter 10:21], has declared that “the 15th of September every year henceforth shall be a public holiday known as Munhumutapa Day.”
The legal gazetting of the day gives permanent statutory recognition to an event commemorated annually since 2024.
This year’s celebrations, which fall on Tuesday, September 15, will mark the third edition of Munhumutapa Day, with the main event to be held in Mvurwi, Mashonaland Central Province.
The inaugural celebrations were held in Masvingo in 2024, before the event moved to Zvishavane in Midlands Province in 2025. Mvurwi now hosts the third edition.
More than 30,000 youths from across the country are expected to converge in Mvurwi for this year’s commemorations, according to the Zanu-PF Youth League. The event is expected to bring together young people from all 10 provinces.
Munhumutapa Day is rooted in Zimbabwe’s pre-colonial history and takes its name from Munhumutapa, the title used by rulers of the Mutapa Empire, whose influence extended across large parts of present-day Zimbabwe. The Mutapa legacy is also associated with the country’s rich heritage and the Great Zimbabwe civilisation.
The annual commemorations have increasingly focused on heritage, youth participation, national development, and the country’s aspiration to attain upper-middle-income status by 2030.
This year’s event is being held under the theme, “United Behind the Vision: Consolidating Gains, Securing 2030 and Beyond, Building a Prosperous Zimbabwe.”
September 15 also coincides with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s birthday; the President turns 84 this year.
Ahead of the main celebrations, a number of activities have been lined up in Mashonaland Central, including youth-focused programmes and sporting activities. A Munhumutapa Race has also been scheduled as part of efforts to use sport and youth mobilisation to promote healthy lifestyles and development.
The gazetting of Munhumutapa Day means Zimbabwe now has a legally recognised annual public holiday dedicated to the commemoration, ensuring that September 15 will remain on the national calendar for years to come.
