HARARE – Preparations for this year's Heroes Day Commemorations and Defence Forces Day Celebrations are at an advanced stage, Cabinet has announced.

The update was presented during the Twenty-Fourth Post-Cabinet Briefing, where Cabinet said the national commemorations will be held on  10 and 11 August 2026, respectively.

The 2026 Heroes Day commemorations will be held under the theme "Lest We Forget," with the main event taking place at the National Heroes Acre in Harare. Simultaneous commemorations will also be held at all 10 Provincial Heroes Acres and 60 District Heroes Acres across the country.

Cabinet said Government is finalising logistical and administrative arrangements to ensure smooth commemorations in honour of Zimbabwe's liberation heroes and heroines. To facilitate attendance, a fleet of 162 buses will be deployed nationwide to transport relatives of heroes and heroines to their respective shrines.

The public has been invited to join President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the nation in commemorating Heroes Day.

Meanwhile, the Defence Forces Day celebrations will be held on 11 August at Rufaro Stadium in Harare under the theme "ZDF: Guaranteeing Peace and Stability for the Attainment of Vision 2030."

As part of the celebrations, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces will conduct Community Assistance Week from 27 to 31 July, during which several completed community projects, including clinics, a Civil Registry Office and a school ICT complex, will be handed over to beneficiaries.

The commemorations will feature a military parade, military displays, entertainment performances by Sulumani Chimbetu, Jah Prayzah, Kona Ngale and the Air Power Band, before concluding with a football match between the Zimbabwe Defence Forces Select Team and the Namibian Defence Forces Select Team.