Online Reporter
Gibson Mhaka, Zimpapers Politics Hub
THE proclamation of September 15 as Munhumutapa Day has opened a new chapter in Zimbabwe’s conversation about history, national identity and the responsibility of building the country.
The significance of Munhumutapa Day lies in its recognition of a rich historical legacy, a period when African societies in this part of the continent organised themselves into powerful political and economic entities and established extensive trading networks long before colonial rule.
President Mnangagwa proclaimed September 15 a public holiday through Statutory Instrument 148 of 2026 under the Public Holidays and Prohibition of Business Act (Chapter 10:21).
The day, which coincides with the President’s birthday, is intended to commemorate the legacy of the Mutapa State and its contribution to Zimbabwe’s history and identity.
The idea was conceived by the Zanu-PF National Youth League, which sought to honour President
Mnangagwa by drawing parallels between the leadership of the Mutapa rulers and the Second
Republic’s pursuit of national development under the philosophy of Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo.
There is also a deeper historical question that deserves attention: what lessons can contemporary
Zimbabwe draw from the rise of the Mutapa State as it pursues Vision 2030?
For students of history, the Mutapa State, also known as the Mutapa Empire or Kingdom of
Mutapa, was a powerful state that emerged in the 15th century and survived, in various forms, for centuries.
Its influence extended across areas of present-day Zimbabwe and Mozambique and into parts of the wider region.
The title Munhumutapa was associated with the ruler of the state and reflected political authority established as Mutota and his successors expanded their influence.
The strength of the state was not based on political organisation alone.
Its economic foundations were equally important.
Gold, ivory, agriculture and cattle formed important pillars of the economy, while trade connected the Mutapa State to wider commercial networks.
Gold and ivory were exchanged with Swahili and Arab traders and, later, Portuguese merchants operating along the Indian Ocean coast, including at Sofala.
In return, the state accessed goods such as cloth, glass beads and firearms.
This is perhaps where the historical comparison with the present becomes most compelling.
The Mutapa rulers understood that political authority had to be supported by productive economic activity and strategic engagement with the outside world.
Modern Zimbabwe faces a fundamentally different global environment, but the principle remains
relevant.
The Second Republic has repeatedly placed economic transformation, value addition, investment,
infrastructure development and engagement with international markets at the centre of its development agenda.
Vision 2030, which seeks to transform Zimbabwe into an upper-middle-income economy, is premised on the understanding that political independence must ultimately translate into improved living standards, productive capacity and economic opportunities for citizens.
The philosophy of Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo therefore fits into this broader development narrative.
Translated as “a country is built by its owners”, the philosophy places emphasis on national ownership and participation in the development process.
Its significance is that development cannot be left exclusively to Government.
The private sector, communities, farmers, miners, entrepreneurs, young people, professionals and ordinary citizens all have a role to play in determining the country’s economic future.
In this respect, the Mutapa story provides an important historical reference point.
The pre-colonial state was not merely a political structure.
It was sustained by productive communities that mined resources, cultivated land, raised livestock, produced goods and participated in trade.
The lesson for contemporary Zimbabwe is not to romanticise the past, but to recognise that economic strength has always been closely connected to the ability of a society to organise its resources and create value.
Zimbabwe today possesses abundant natural resources, from minerals and agricultural land to tourism assets and human capital.
The challenge is to ensure that these resources translate into broad-based economic development.
This is particularly important as the Second Republic pursues industrialisation and seeks to move the economy beyond the export of largely unprocessed commodities.
The Mutapa State’s participation in regional and international trade offers another historical lesson.
Zimbabwe cannot develop in isolation.
Just as the Mutapa State was connected to commercial networks extending towards the Indian Ocean, modern Zimbabwe must position itself within regional, continental and global value chains.
This explains the emphasis placed by the Second Republic on engagement and re-engagement, regional integration and creating an investment-friendly environment.
Zimbabwe’s participation in SADC, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and the African Continental Free Trade Area provides opportunities to expand markets for locally produced goods and services.
The objective must be to ensure that Zimbabwe does not merely supply raw materials to external markets but increasingly processes, manufactures and exports higher-value products.
That is where the spirit of Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo acquires practical meaning.
National ownership should not be reduced to a slogan.
It must be reflected in citizens who establish businesses, farmers who increase productivity, miners who invest in beneficiation, manufacturers who create competitive products and young people who acquire skills that enable them to participate meaningfully in the economy.
The same principle applies to heritage.
The declaration of Munhumutapa Day provides an opportunity to ensure that Zimbabwe’s pre-colonial history receives greater attention in schools, universities, museums and cultural institutions.
Great Zimbabwe and the Mutapa legacy should not exist merely as chapters in history textbooks.
They can be important platforms for research, cultural tourism, employment and investment.
History, when properly preserved and presented, can become an economic resource while simultaneously strengthening national identity.
This is particularly significant for young Zimbabweans.
A generation that knows only the colonial period and the liberation struggle has an incomplete understanding of the country’s historical journey.
The liberation struggle remains central to Zimbabwe’s modern political identity, but it forms part of a much longer story.
The history of Great Zimbabwe, the Mutapa State and other pre-colonial societies demonstrate that state-building, commerce, agriculture, mining, diplomacy and technological achievement have deep roots in the region.
Munhumutapa Day should therefore become more than a political commemoration.
It should become a day for reflection on what earlier generations achieved with the resources and knowledge available to them and what the present generation can achieve with far greater access to education, technology, finance and global markets.
The comparison with President Mnangagwa’s leadership is central to the significance of the new public holiday, particularly as the idea was conceived by the Zanu-PF Youth League to honour the
President’s leadership and draw parallels between the nation-building achievements of the Mutapa rulers and the Second Republic’s pursuit of Vision 2030. The initiative reflects the broader philosophy of Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo, which places national ownership and collective participation at the heart of Zimbabwe’s development agenda.
A prosperous Zimbabwe will not be built by the Government alone.
It will require citizens who see themselves not merely as beneficiaries of development, but as participants and owners of the development process.
That is the deeper meaning behind Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo.
The Mutapa State belongs to history, but the lessons from its rise remain relevant.
Its rulers understood the importance of organisation, productive resources and strategic trade.
The responsibility before the present generation is to apply the same determination in a modern economy through industrialisation, innovation, beneficiation, investment, skills development and regional integration.
Munhumutapa Day can therefore serve as a bridge between history and the future.
It can remind Zimbabweans that nation-building did not begin with independence and does not end with Vision 2030.
Each generation inherits a country, adds to it and passes it on.
The task of the present generation is to ensure that the Zimbabwe inherited from history is stronger, more prosperous and more self-reliant when it is handed to those who come after.
