HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa is set to visit the United Kingdom in May this year to attend the coronation of King Charles III.

This was revealed by the Zimbabwean leader in his latest weekly column in the Sunday Mail.

“In early May, I shall be attending the coronation of King Charles III, again adding a positive chapter to our bilateral relations with the United Kingdom,” Mnangagwa said.

The coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms is scheduled to take place on Saturday, 6 May 2023, at Westminster Abbey.

It would be the first time Mnangagwa visits the UK since he became the country’s leader in 2017.

Mnangagwa is among some top Zimbabwean politicians who were placed under EU travel restrictions for rights abuses, poll theft and corruption.

It would be the second time under Charles’s reign that Mnangagwa has been invited to the UK to attend a ceremony involving the monarch.

He was last year invited to attend the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, but he delegated Foreign Affairs Minister, Federick Shava.

Mnangagwa said his visit to England will aid Zimbabwe’s re-engagement efforts with the country’s former colonial master and the rest of the western world.

Said the Zimbabwean leader, “In both the United States of America and the United Kingdom, re-engagement continues.

“Late last year, our Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade attended the US-Africa Summit.

“This was the first ever time such an invitation was extended to Zimbabwe.

“We hope the Administration there is beginning to see that relations between us must be re-based, putting behind us the unwarranted and undeserved punitive measures which do not serve our mutual interests.”

Meanwhile, Mnangagwa said he will also visit Iran this year.

Said the Zimbabwean leader, “In the Middle East and in Persia, we continue to make remarkable inroads.

“Apart from our excellent relations with the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar, we shall soon be announcing new diplomatic initiatives in respect of Saudi Arabia.

“Before long, I shall pay a state visit to Iran, a Persian country which we have long-standing diplomatic relations.”