Zimbabwe will now mark Robert Gabriel Mugabe National Youth Day on February 21, which coincides with the birthday of the country's former President.
The Zimbabwean newspaper the Herald reported that the government took a decision to make Mugabe's birthday a national holiday in August 2017, but that the move was officially approved last week.
The report came after 93-year-old Robert Mugabe resigned as the country's president after his almost forty year-long rule last Tuesday.
#Mnangagwa is really crazy! He has made February 21 a national holiday? Calls it Robert Mugabe YOUTH day! How can you reward a brutish nonagenarian who squandered the lives of many youths, had no faith in them, with a cult-of-self mentality with such an honour? Vote #ZanuPF out!
— Technical et Cetera (@dekaky1) 27 ноября 2017 г.
Former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa was then sworn in as Zimbabwe's interim president, with the country's army commander swearing allegiance to the new leader during the ceremony.
February 21 declared Robert Gabriel Mugabe National Youth Day.
— Samuel Kamugisha 🇺 (@SkMugisha) 27 ноября 2017 г.
The way they are trying to make the old man feel at home during his retirement!
In his inauguration speech, 75-year-old Mnangagwa specifically underscored that for him "personally", Mugabe "remains a father, mentor, comrade-in-arms and my leader," according to the Herald.
The Guardian newspaper, for its part, reported that Mugabe may receive some ten million dollars as part of an alleged deal to secure his resignation and that he will receive an annual salary of 150,000 dollars until his death.
