'King Munhumutapa' to handover 'crown' to Mnangagwa

SELF-PROCLAIMED King Munhumutapa Timothy Chiminya is reportedly set to hand over his ‘kingship' to President Emmerson Mnangagwa during the annual King Munhumutapa Day celebrations on Tuesday, according to reliable sources.

The development comes after Mnangagwa last week declared Munhumutapa Day a national holiday, with this year's commemorations coinciding with his 84th birthday on September 15.

The holiday is intended to honour both the President's birthday and the legacy of the ancient Munhumutapa Empire.

Mnangagwa's predecessor, the late Robert Mugabe, was similarly celebrated through elaborate annual events on February 21, although his birthday was only formally declared a national holiday after his death in 2019.

The move to link Mnangagwa to the Munhumutapa legacy followed a controversial Zanu-PF resolution last year equating the President with the ancient king.

The party had also recommended that Mnangagwa's birthday be declared a national holiday.

Munhumutapa Day was initially gazetted under General Notice 954 of 2024 in terms of the Public Holidays and Prohibition of Business Act (Chapter 10:21). The notice provides for the day to be commemorated annually on September 15.

Sources said Chiminya's reported decision to hand over his kingship to Mnangagwa followed his legal battles over allegations that he had undermined the authority of the President.

Chiminya was previously convicted and, on November 13, 2025, sentenced to 10 months in prison following his arrest in December on charges of undermining the authority of the President. The State alleged that he had contravened Section 33 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act (Chapter 9:23).

However, in February this year, the courts reportedly cleared him of the charges.

The case stemmed from an incident in February 2024 when Chiminya visited Chief Seke's homestead, where he met Stanley Chimanike, the legally appointed Chief Seke.

The court heard that Chiminya informed Chimanike that he had been dethroned and proceeded to appoint Masimba Rubatika as his replacement.

The matter was subsequently reported to the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, which oversees the administration of the Traditional Leaders Act, leading to Chiminya's arrest.

The State also alleged that between June 11 and October 31, Chiminya appointed three other chiefs in the Chirumhanzu and Zaka areas.

The appointments were challenged on the grounds that they were contrary to the Constitution and the Traditional Leaders Act, which gives the President authority over the appointment of chiefs.

Chiminya, however, has maintained that he was reinstated as the paramount King Munhumutapa by the High Court on September 30, 2022, under Case Number 398/22.

He has also claimed that his authority derives from a spirit medium who appointed him King Munhumutapa, giving him the power to install and remove chiefs across the country.

Last year, Chiminya unveiled what he described as his ‘constitution', which proposed the creation of an Office of the Prime Minister who would report directly to him, alongside ministers.

The reported handover of the kingship to Mnangagwa on Tuesday would mark a significant development in the long-running and controversial claims surrounding the modern-day Munhumutapa institution.