Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport comes to life

With effect from November 9, the Harare International Airport will now be known as R. G Mugabe International Airport, after government agreed to rename it in honour of the long–serving Zimbabwe leader.

Mugabe, 93, is the only leader Zimbabwe has ever known since gaining independence from Britain in 1980.

The name change was initiated by the Zanu PF Youth League to honour the ruling party’s first secretary.

“With effect from November 9, 2017, Harare International Airport will be renamed R.G Mugabe International Airport,” the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (Caaz) said in a notice dated September 6.

 Transport minister Jorum Gumbo first announced the name change at the party’s 16th Annual People’s Conference in Masvingo last year, but said it would be renamed after an upgrade.

“We have Victoria Falls International Airport commissioned on November 18, we have Buffalo Range Airport built, we have Harare International Airport, your excellency, that we are working on and we are at 55 percent to the work we are doing there,”

“Still on that, following the resolution made during the congress and the last conference, Harare International Airport, we are going to rebuild it, to make it up to date with current airport trends. We are going to start that work, beginning of this next year. And to also change its name to Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport according to last year’s resolution,” Gumbo said then.