Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has proclaimed September 15, his birthday, a new public holiday, state-run Herald newspaper reports.

The public holiday shall be known as Munhumutapa Day to celebrate the Mutapa empire, a pre-colonial Shona kingdom that spanned across parts of modern-day Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

It will be observed every year henceforth, according to a government notice.

The holiday symbolises the link between the pre-colonial greatness of the Mutapa Empire and the modern development drive that has seen Zimbabwe achieve unprecedented milestones in infrastructure, food security and empowerment projects, the Herald newspaper reports.

“This declaration is a celebration of both historical and present greatness,” a senior government official is quoted as saying.

In July President Mnangagwa signed into law constitutional amendments that abolished direct presidential elections and extended his tenure and that of parliament from five years to seven.

Parliament approved the amendments which effectively extended Mnangagwa’s tenure to 2030.

The revised constitution scrapped public voting in presidential elections, with lawmakers now responsible for choosing the president.

Mnangagwa, 83, has ruled Zimbabwe since 2017, following the military-backed ouster of his predecessor, President Robert Mugabe, who died in 2019.