Joint Sitting of the Senate and National Assembly of the Parliament of Zimbabwe
Harare International Conference Centre
20th December 2017
STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS
BY
PRESIDENT E. D. MNANGAGWA
Madame President of the Senate, Honourable Edna Madzongwe; Speaker of the National Assembly, Honourable Advocate Jacob Muzenda, Honourable Members of Parliament, here present:
Ladies and Gentlemen; Comrades and Friends; Fellow Zimbabweans:
I feel deeply honoured to make this, my maiden State of the Nation Address, in my capacity as President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and Commander in Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.
Madame President, Mr. Speaker, Sir, first and foremost, allow me to commend our national security services, in particular, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, who, informed by the ethos of the liberation struggle and their unflinching loyalty to our heritage, exuded great astuteness, clarity of purpose and exemplary behaviour, in defending the national interest by initiating what has now become known as “Operation Restore Legacy”. This was indeed in line with their mandate of protecting Zimbabwe, its people, its national security and interests and its territorial integrity, and by upholding the Constitution, as provided for in Section 212 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.