FELICITATIONS AS PRESIDENT TURNS 82 . . .‘I feel very young and very strong’

Emmanuel Kafe

“I DON’T count my age; others count them for me . . . and I feel very young and very strong. What I was doing 10 years ago, I still do today. Some of you have your age in your mind, but not with me,” said President Mnangagwa to journalists last week when asked about the secret behind his thriving Precabe Farm in Kwekwe, ahead of his 82nd birthday today.

President Mnangagwa was born on September 15, 1942.

Yesterday, congratulatory birthday messages had started pouring in, with the President being extolled for his wisdom, guidance and leadership, which has set Zimbabwe on a path of “unprecedented economic modernisation and transformation”.

In his message yesterday, Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga said the nation was gratified by the milestone, as President Mnangagwa had continued to lead and guide the ruling ZANU PF and Zimbabwe “with unparalleled distinction”.

“On behalf of the people of Zimbabwe, my office, my family and, indeed, my own behalf, I would like to congratulate the First Secretary of ZANU PF and the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, His Excellency, Cde Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, on his 82nd birthday on September 15, 2024.

“Your Excellency, we are gratified by this milestone as you continue to lead and guide our revolutionary party and our great nation with unparalleled distinction,” said VP Chiwenga.

Under the President’s leadership, he added, the country had witnessed massive infrastructure development and the stabilisation of the economy.

“The nation has witnessed unprecedented economic modernisation and transformation, characterised by massive infrastructural development and stabilisation of the economy in our common goal to accelerate the attainment of a prosperous and empowered upper middle-income economy by 2030. We undertake to emulate your exemplary leadership in our endeavours to deliver broad-based and inclusive quality service to the people of Zimbabwe, leaving no one and no place behind.”

He also said the country is confident that the President, as the new chairperson of the Southern African Development Community, will lead the regional bloc towards integration and prosperity, especially considering his record of robust and visionary leadership.

“Allow me, once again, to congratulate you, Shumba Murambwi, and the First Family on your birthday. We pray that the Lord grants you many more years as you lead our great nation from the front . . . ,” added VP Chiwenga.

Vice President Kembo Mohadi said President Mnangagwa’s continued good works will benefit all Zimbabweans.

“The Honourable Vice President, KCD Mohadi, joins the nation in congratulating his Excellency, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces for a happy birthday,” said a statement from his office.

“May the Almighty grant you more years to continue with the good work for the benefit of us all.”

Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet Dr Martin Rushwaya said President Mnangagwa continues to lead by example in “cherishing strong family values, freedom, love, unity, peace and tolerance”.

“The Chief Secretary, Dr Martin Rushwaya, Deputy Chief Secretaries, Heads of Departments, Chief Directors and staff in the Office of the President and Cabinet join the entire nation in extending warm congratulations to His Excellency the President, Cde Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, on the occasion of his 82nd birthday on September 15, 2024. The occasion comes barely a month after His Excellency assumed the chairmanship of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), as the regional bloc finds an opportunity to tap into his wisdom in nation-building and socio-economic development,” said Dr Rushwaya in a statement released yesterday.

“We are confident that his visionary leadership of our country bodes well for a region yearning for stability, peace and social justice to also prevail in member states whose energies have been sapped by conflict in this decade. We take pride in the realisation that from the trenches of the liberation struggle emerged a revolutionary of impeccable credentials who has continued to lead by example in cherishing strong family values, freedom, love, unity, peace and tolerance.”

His exploits as a farmer, he said, bear testimony to his unshakable belief in hard and honest work as the bedrock of self-reliance, which frees a nation from hunger and undue external interference.

“Under his stewardship, the nation has continued to conquer all manner of adversity, including the Covid-19 pandemic and macro-economic instability being ushered in by the illegal sanctions imposed on our nation. Fathers, mothers and guardians can rest assured that the drug and substance abuse scourge wreaking havoc in families and communities is being tackled head-on and the values of Unhu/Ubuntu shall prevail across the length and breadth of our beautiful motherland.”

Dr Rushwaya said, as the National Development Strategy One (2021-2025) enters its final stretch, the ongoing massive infrastructure and institutional upgrades bear testimony to the resolve to attain Vision 2030.

“We call upon all peace-loving and patriotic citizens, including our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora, to lend maximum support to the Second Republic as a beacon of hope for our nation and region. We wish His Excellency the President a happy birthday, and may the Lord Almighty grant him many more years in sound health and greater success.”

The Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services said President Mnangagwa was “a living parable of diligence, hard work, virtue and honour”.

“Inspired by his revolutionary credence, we pay homage to his contribution to the foundational architecture of our State in early independence. His pro-people leadership track record in various tasks he undertook prior to his deserved appointment as Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe in 2014 is worth emulating,” said the ministry in a statement.

“Cde Dr ED Mnangagwa is a living parable of diligence, hard work, virtue and honour. Therefore, the celebration of his birthday is symbolic of how we cherish his tangible lifelong exploits to national independence, the ferocious protection of national sovereignty, poverty eradication and creation of a just society for all.”

The President’s leading role in the nationalist renaissance that gave birth to the Second Republic, the ministry added, is evidence of his adherence to the preservation of the country’s enduring liberation values.

“The innumerable political reforms and socio-economic transformation under his leadership are a justified cause for his 82nd birthday celebration to be given national prominence.

“Further to this, the vision of an upper middle-class economy by 2030, finds safety in the palms of his patriotic zeal for a better Zimbabwe.”

Parliament of Zimbabwe and other Government departments and agencies also congratulated the President.