On September 9, 2026, a new public holiday was announced by President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Zimbabweans were to observe every September 15 as “Munhumutapa Day,” in honour of the 12th – 15th century pre-colonial empire regarded as one of Africa’s great civilisations and the source of what is known as “Great Zimbabwe.”
But September 15 coincides with the president’s birthday, hence news reports (here, here, here) and viral social media posts ((here, here, here) claimed that Zimbabwe declared the president’s birthday a public holiday.
We fact-checked the claims by reviewing the Statutory Instrument for the new holiday and also spoke to a fellow fact-checker with ZimFact, Cris Chinaka, who confirmed that the official government statute makes no direct reference to the President’s birthday, though the holiday’s date curiously coincides with it, sparking ongoing political debate.
Read our full report here: FACT-CHECK: Did Zimbabwe President declare his birthday an annual public holiday?
