Published: 12 hours ago

A long-observed but rarely explained tradition of Zimbabwe's presidency - the ceremonial send-off and reception of the Head of State at the airport - has come under the spotlight once again, this time with presidential spokesperson George Charamba offering detailed insight into its constitutional and symbolic significance.

The explanation follows renewed debate after Vice President Constantino Chiwenga was seen at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport late at night, welcoming President Emmerson Mnangagwa back from his diplomatic tour of Equatorial Guinea, Japan, and Algeria.

The custom, familiar to Zimbabweans through decades of images showing ministers and vice presidents lining up to receive the President, was often viewed as a form of political theatre - a show of loyalty and power rather than a procedural necessity.

Charamba, responding on X (formerly Twitter), clarified that the practice is not mere pomp but a constitutional requirement tied to the transfer of executive power.

"It is protocol for an Acting President to be physically present at the point of exit when the President leaves the country and again at the point of entry upon his return," said Charamba.

"This is because the Head of State hands over instruments of power to the designated Acting President at departure and receives them back upon arrival. This handover and return are symbolised in the physical meeting and handshake at the airport, usually accompanied by military salutes from the Defence Forces."

Charamba further noted that, without the designated Acting President present at the port of departure, the sitting President may not legally leave the country.

"Once the incumbent is airborne, the Acting President assumes power — recognised even by the Defence Forces through an official salute. Upon the President's return, the reverse takes place."

This explanation sheds new light on a ritual many Zimbabweans had long accepted as an unexplained norm, often critiqued as outdated and costly. The practice, it turns out, is rooted in protocol inherited from the British colonial system — a tradition also maintained by other former British colonies such as Zambia, Malawi, and Tanzania.

Reports from the 1990s reinforce the historical consistency of the tradition. In one oft-repeated anecdote, the late Zanu-PF stalwart and legal scholar Eddison Zvobgo reportedly refused to get out of bed on a freezing winter morning to receive then-President Robert Mugabe at the Harare International Airport after one of his frequent foreign trips. Though Zvobgo was never Mugabe's deputy, senior ministers were routinely expected to attend such late-night returns.

Despite its longevity, the tradition has come under increasing scrutiny, with critics arguing that it is an unnecessary relic in a modern republic, especially when such ceremonies take place in the early hours, incurring logistical and security costs.

While many Zimbabweans had speculated about its purpose, Charamba's statement offers rare clarity. Still, questions remain about its relevance in a democratic system struggling with economic challenges, and whether it is time to reform or discard such colonial vestiges altogether.
- NewZimbabwe

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