Harare International Airport has been renamed after Zimbabwe\u2019s current President, Robert Mugabe.<\/p>\n
Transport Minister Joram Gumbo justified the decision on the grounds that Mr Mugabe was a \u201cwar hero\u201d and \u201cAfrican icon\u201d.<\/p>\n
There is tension about who will succeed the man in power since 1980, with a number of key contenders removed from their posts.<\/p>\n
Mr Mugabe, 93, says he will stand for re-election next year.<\/p>\n
His wife Grace has been tipped to succeed him and is expected to be appointed vice-president.<\/p>\n
When plans to rename the airport were announced in September, Zimbabwean journalist Elias Mambo suggested the president\u2019s ego was being \u201cmassaged\u201d.<\/p>\n
President Mugabe and his wife unveiled the new plaque bearing his name in a short simple ceremony.<\/p>\n
The name change is just one of a series of events planned by the government to pay tribute the man who led the country to independence.<\/p>\n
In August, the government announced plans to build a $1bn university named after him.<\/p>\n
But the BBC\u2019s Shingai Nyoka in Harare says Zimbabweans are divided over the name change at the airport, and the opposition has described it as an insult.<\/p>\n
President Mugabe thanked the government on behalf of his family, which he said \u201cis not just my wife and the children it is the whole country\u201d.<\/p>\n
Our correspondent says that Zimbabwe was once southern Africa\u2019s aviation hub.<\/p>\n
Critics say because of Mr Mugabe\u2019s economic policies, the once vibrant airport is now a shadow of its former self.<\/p>\n
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Source: BBC <\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Homepage](\"https:\/\/ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Starr_Woman_7th_Edition_Top_Banner.png\")
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