Tinotenda Hove – Emmerson Mnangagwa clocks 83 today, a milestone that for many Zimbabweans serves as a reminder not of progress, but of decades of unfulfilled promises, corruption, and worsening hardship. Instead of reflection on the suffering of ordinary people, the ruling party has organised what critics describe as an extravagant propaganda spectacle under the banner of “Munhumutapa Day.”

Information Minister Jenfan Muswere led the chorus of praise, declaring, “We are celebrating the life of a statesman, a visionary, a man of the people.” Yet this comes at a time when citizens are battling hunger, unemployment, collapsing hospitals, and a currency in freefall. His further claim that Mnangagwa is “a President who wants the best for everyone” has been widely dismissed as detached from the harsh realities faced by millions.

Party officials insist the event is about youth empowerment, with ZANU-PF Midlands chairperson Edison Chiherenge insisting, “It is a very important day for the young people as they get a chance to celebrate President Mnangagwa’s birthday as well as interact with him.” But young Zimbabweans argue that what they need are real opportunities, not rehearsed rallies.

Midlands Minister Owen Ncube pointed to the commissioning of flats as proof of development, boasting, “The flats have been completed and are ready for occupation and will be commissioned during the event.” Critics, however, note that such projects are often politicised, benefitting party loyalists while the majority remain excluded from housing and basic services.

ZANU-PF Deputy Secretary for Youth Affairs John Paradza also claimed, “Young people will use the day to highlight the President’s accomplishments.” Yet in reality, thousands of youths continue to leave the country every month in search of survival, disillusioned by empty rhetoric.

As the ruling party celebrates its ageing leader with pomp, many Zimbabweans see 83 years not of wisdom or progress, but of entrenchment of authoritarian rule. What is marketed as national pride will, for countless citizens, appear as little more than a taxpayer-funded circus designed to polish Mnangagwa’s image while the country sinks deeper into crisis.