CLAIM: In its 44-year-old history Zimbabwe has only had two Presidents.
SOURCE: David Coltart on X (formerly Twitter)
VERDICT: False.
Bulawayo Mayor, David Coltart, on May 13 2024 posted a message via his handle @DavidColtart on X (formerly Twitter) talking about Zimbabwe’s two-term Presidential limit in the Constitution.
David Coltart goes on to say that Zimbabwe has only had 2 Presidents in its 44-year-old history.
This is a common misconception, which writes off the Presidency of Canaan Banana as not having existed as shown here and here.
The history of the Zimbabwean Presidency is marked by significant events and transitions The office of the President of Zimbabwe was established in 1980 when the country gained independence from the United Kingdom and an Independence agreement was adopted at the Lancaster House Agreement on 21 December 1979.
Canaan Banana became the first President of Zimbabwe serving with limited executive powers which were shared between him and Parliament as per the Lancaster House Agreement.
In 1987, the Constitution was amended, abolishing the post of Prime Minister and creating an executive presidency. Robert Mugabe was sworn in as the President of Zimbabwe on 31 December 1987, therefore, becoming the second President to serve the Republic of Zimbabwe.
On 24 November 2017, Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in as the third President of Zimbabwe after the resignation of Robert Mugabe. Emmerson Mnangagwa is the incumbent President of Zimbabwe.
Conclusion
The claim that ‘in its 44-year-old history Zimbabwe has only had 2 Presidents’ has been rated as false. Zimbabwe has had 3 Presidents, Canaan Sodindo Banana who was President from 1980 to 1987, Robert Gabriel Mugabe who served as Zimbabwean President from 31 December 1987 to 21 November 2017 and the current incumbent President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa. It would be factual to say, Zimbabwe has only had 2 executive Presidents in its 44 year history.
