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Masvingo (province)
Encyclopedia
Masvingo is a Province
in Zimbabwe
found in the south-eastern section of the landlocked country. It borders Mozambique
on its eastern border and the provinces of Matabeleland South
to the south, Midlands
to the north and west and Manicaland
to the north east. It was called Victoria Province before 1982.
of the BSAC which makes it the oldest town in Zimbabwe. It was named Fort Victoria
after Queen Victoria.
The province is largely populated by members of the Karanga
tribe, who are the most populous tribe in Zimbabwe,and are a sub-group of the Shona speaking tribes that also include the Zezuru, Manyika
and Ndau. Masvingo province, known before 1980 as Victoria province, is in the drier lowveldt
area in the south of Zimbabwe. The boundaries were changed slightly in the 1980s. From white settlement until 2000 most of the area was devoted to cattle ranching, with mining and sugar cane growing (irrigated from Mutirikwi), and communal areas where subsistence farming is carried out. With the land reforms of the early 21st century large scale cattle and mixed farms are being redistributed to small farmers.
(formerly Fort Victoria) is the capital of the province. Chiredzi
and Triangle are other major towns in the province.
tribes in Southern Africa
they practise animal husbandry to supplement their diets. In fact, like the rest of the country, their most prized possessions are cattle, which patriarchs demand as lobola, bride-price (dowry), in return for the hand of their daughters in marriage. The status of men in the villages in the province is assessed according to the number of cattle they possess - those with no cattle are not considered men. Cattle owners were dismayed during the drought of 1992 when then 90 percent of the cattle in the province died of famine.
The province has an area of 56,566 km² and a population of approximately 1.3 million (2002). The Karanga
form a majority in the province. In Chiredzi District
, there are communities of Shangani
people while those of the Ndebele are found on the western edge of the province. To the north-east, are found the Ndau. The white population has declined continuously since independence, heightened during the invasions of white commercial farms in 2000. In fact, the first farm invasion occurred in Masvingo Province and the rest of the country followed suit.
and Triangle
use the water from Lake Kyle for irrigation.
, Runde, Mwenezi
and Limpopo
river systems which all either join or drain directly into the Indian Ocean
. The only notable mountain range is the Chimanimani Mountain Range in the east. Kopjes, grey and bald in the hot sun, dot the countryside. Mopane trees, drought tolerant and sturdy, are found throughout the province.
The busy A1 highway
connects the major centers of Masvingo
and Beitbridge
.
plus a number of chiefs. In addition, twenty six members of parliament, selected from the province's seven districts, are sent to the House of Assembly
.
Masvingo is divided into 7 administrative districts, although these can be further divided by the delimitation committee during elections depending on population figures. The districts are Bikita, Chivi
, Zaka and Masvingo
in the center of the province, Gutu
in the north, and Mwenezi, and Chiredzi in the south and east respectively. All these seven districts have business centres known as growth points and they are as follows with estimation of distance from Masvingo city centre: Masvingo- Nemanwa (30 km), Bikita- Nyika (82 km), Zaka- Jerera (96 km), Gutu- Mpandawana (94 km).
border is Gonarezhou National Park
, part of the Gaza, Kruger
and Gonarezhou Transfrontier National Park
concept. Less than an hour away to the east lies the world famous stone ruins of Great Zimbabwe National Monument, from which Zimbabwe
draws its name. A little closer to the stone ruins is Lake Kyle, a huge body of water where people spend time engaged in recreational actives in Mutirikwi Recreational Park. Tourism is a major contributor to the province's GDP, as is agriculture
.
;Harvard trained lawyer ,nationalist and politician Edson Zvobgo
, Nationalist Crispen Mandizvidza, ambassador Stanslaus Mudenge and Alois Chidoda; Member Of Parliament Shuvai Mahova; Chief Air-Marshall Josiah Tungamirai
; Governor Josiah Hungwe. The popular singer, Paul Matavire
, aka Dr. Love was from Mwenezi
, while Gen. Vitalis Zvinavashe
, the second supreme commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, is from Gutu, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa who was raised in Chivi.
Provinces of Zimbabwe
|Zimbabwe is divided into 8 provinces and 2 cities with provincial status:-See also:*Districts of Zimbabwe*Municipalities of Zimbabwe*List of provincial governors of Zimbabwe*ISO 3166-2:ZW-External links:*...
in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
found in the south-eastern section of the landlocked country. It borders Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
on its eastern border and the provinces of Matabeleland South
Matabeleland South
Matabeleland South is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of 54,172 km² and a population of approximately 650,000 . Gwanda is the capital of the province.-Geography:...
to the south, Midlands
Midlands (Zimbabwe)
Midlands is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of 49,166 km² and a population of approximately 1.5 million . Gweru is the capital of the province. It is home to various peoples...
to the north and west and Manicaland
Manicaland
Manicaland is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of and a population of approximately 1.6 million . Mutare is the capital of the province. -Background:...
to the north east. It was called Victoria Province before 1982.
History
The town was founded in 1890 and was the first large settlement to be established by the Pioneer ColumnPioneer Column
The Pioneer Column was a force raised by Cecil Rhodes and his British South Africa Company in 1890 and used in his efforts to annex the territory of Mashonaland, later part of Southern Rhodesia ....
of the BSAC which makes it the oldest town in Zimbabwe. It was named Fort Victoria
Masvingo
Masvingo is a town in south-eastern Zimbabwe and the capital of Masvingo Province. The town is close to Great Zimbabwe, the national monument from which the country takes its name.- History :...
after Queen Victoria.
The province is largely populated by members of the Karanga
Shona people
Shona is the name collectively given to two groups of people in the east and southwest of Zimbabwe, north eastern Botswana and southern Mozambique.-Shona Regional Classification:...
tribe, who are the most populous tribe in Zimbabwe,and are a sub-group of the Shona speaking tribes that also include the Zezuru, Manyika
Manyika
The Manyika are a Shona tribe with their own dialect, Manyika. The majority of Manyika come from the eastern region of Zimbabwe. The language is widely spoken in Manicaland Province and in certain areas of Manica Province in neighbouring Mozambique. The Manica dialect somewhat varies from region to...
and Ndau. Masvingo province, known before 1980 as Victoria province, is in the drier lowveldt
Veld
The term Veld refers primarily to the wide open rural spaces of South Africa or southern Africa and in particular to certain flatter areas or districts covered in grass or low scrub...
area in the south of Zimbabwe. The boundaries were changed slightly in the 1980s. From white settlement until 2000 most of the area was devoted to cattle ranching, with mining and sugar cane growing (irrigated from Mutirikwi), and communal areas where subsistence farming is carried out. With the land reforms of the early 21st century large scale cattle and mixed farms are being redistributed to small farmers.
Geography
MasvingoMasvingo
Masvingo is a town in south-eastern Zimbabwe and the capital of Masvingo Province. The town is close to Great Zimbabwe, the national monument from which the country takes its name.- History :...
(formerly Fort Victoria) is the capital of the province. Chiredzi
Chiredzi
Chiredzi is a small town in Masvingo province in south-east Zimbabwe. Together with its sister town of Triangle, it is the major center of sugar production in the country.-Background:...
and Triangle are other major towns in the province.
Population
Despite the aridness, the residents of the province are proud tillers of the earth and like most NguniNguni people
-History:The ancient history of the Nguni people is wrapped up in their oral history. According to legend they were a people who migrated from Egypt to the Great Lakes region of sub-equatorial Central/East Africa...
tribes in Southern Africa
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
they practise animal husbandry to supplement their diets. In fact, like the rest of the country, their most prized possessions are cattle, which patriarchs demand as lobola, bride-price (dowry), in return for the hand of their daughters in marriage. The status of men in the villages in the province is assessed according to the number of cattle they possess - those with no cattle are not considered men. Cattle owners were dismayed during the drought of 1992 when then 90 percent of the cattle in the province died of famine.
The province has an area of 56,566 km² and a population of approximately 1.3 million (2002). The Karanga
Shona people
Shona is the name collectively given to two groups of people in the east and southwest of Zimbabwe, north eastern Botswana and southern Mozambique.-Shona Regional Classification:...
form a majority in the province. In Chiredzi District
Chiredzi District
Chiredzi District is found in south-east Zimbabwe in Masvingo Province. The district is the major center of sugar production in the country. Hippo Valley Hospital, found in the district, is one of a numbers of center for HIV/AIDS treatment in the province....
, there are communities of Shangani
Shangaan
The Tsonga people inhabit the southern coastal plain of Mozambique, parts of Zimbabwe and Swaziland, and the Limpopo Province of South Africa...
people while those of the Ndebele are found on the western edge of the province. To the north-east, are found the Ndau. The white population has declined continuously since independence, heightened during the invasions of white commercial farms in 2000. In fact, the first farm invasion occurred in Masvingo Province and the rest of the country followed suit.
Climate
Masvingo province is located in the low veld of the country where rainfall is minimal and uncertain. a large of the southern part of the province is drought prone, set as region 5 in the country's climatic regions. Most parts of the province, therefore, are generally unfit for agriculture, apart from cattle ranching. Masvingo have most of the educated population in Zimbabwe. Hippo Valley estates in ChiredziChiredzi
Chiredzi is a small town in Masvingo province in south-east Zimbabwe. Together with its sister town of Triangle, it is the major center of sugar production in the country.-Background:...
and Triangle
Triangle
A triangle is one of the basic shapes of geometry: a polygon with three corners or vertices and three sides or edges which are line segments. A triangle with vertices A, B, and C is denoted ....
use the water from Lake Kyle for irrigation.
Topography
The province is dominated by the SaveSave River (Africa)
The Save is a 400km river of southeastern Africa, flowing through Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The river has its source in Zimbabwe, some 80 km south of Harare, then flows south and then east, from the Zimbabwean highveld to its confluence with the Odzi River...
, Runde, Mwenezi
Mwenezi River
Mwenezi River is a major tributary of the Limpopo River. The Mwenezi River starts up in south central Zimbabwe and flows south-east along what is known as the Mwenezi River Vally that bisects the district into two sectors.. The river is found in both Zimbabwe and Mozambique...
and Limpopo
Limpopo River
The Limpopo River rises in central southern Africa, and flows generally eastwards to the Indian Ocean. It is around long, with a drainage basin in size. Its mean annual discharge is 170 m³/s at its mouth...
river systems which all either join or drain directly into the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. The only notable mountain range is the Chimanimani Mountain Range in the east. Kopjes, grey and bald in the hot sun, dot the countryside. Mopane trees, drought tolerant and sturdy, are found throughout the province.
The busy A1 highway
A1 road (Zimbabwe)
The A1 is a National Route, a busy road that connects the major centers of Masvingo and Beitbridge in the Mwenezi District of Masvingo Province in Zimbabwe....
connects the major centers of Masvingo
Masvingo
Masvingo is a town in south-eastern Zimbabwe and the capital of Masvingo Province. The town is close to Great Zimbabwe, the national monument from which the country takes its name.- History :...
and Beitbridge
Beitbridge
Beitbridge or Mzingwane is a border town in the province of Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe. The name also refers to the border post and bridge spanning the Limpopo River, which forms the political border between South Africa and Zimbabwe.-Background:...
.
Government
The province's leader is a governor appointed by the country's president for a five year term of office. The province also sends six elected members to the SenateSenate of Zimbabwe
The Senate of Zimbabwe is the upper chamber of the country's bicameral Parliament. It existed from 1980 to 1989, and was re-introduced in November 2005....
plus a number of chiefs. In addition, twenty six members of parliament, selected from the province's seven districts, are sent to the House of Assembly
House of Assembly of Zimbabwe
The House of Assembly of Zimbabwe is the lower chamber of the country's bicameral Parliament. It was the unicameral legislative body from 1989 until late November 2005, when the Senate was re-introduced....
.
Districts
The districts are run by the rural district councils, which are composed of members elected from the wards in the district.Masvingo is divided into 7 administrative districts, although these can be further divided by the delimitation committee during elections depending on population figures. The districts are Bikita, Chivi
Chivi (District)
Chivi a district in Masvingo Province in Zimbabwe. It is a semi-arid area which falls in agricultural regions 4 and 5. It is also the name of a mission station established in 1892 by Wedpohl, Neitz and Dietrich from Berlin, Germany...
, Zaka and Masvingo
Masvingo (District)
Masvingo District encampases metropolitan Masvingo, in Masvingo Province in southern Zimbabwe. The district boasts of the Great Zimbabwe National Monument among its list of tourist attractions. Lake Kyle is also nearby. The people in the district are mostly rural, communal farmers. Mushandike Co-op...
in the center of the province, Gutu
Gutu (District)
Gutu is the third largest district in Masvingo Province, southern Zimbabwe, after Chiredzi and Mwenezi. It is the northernmost district in the province. The name "Gutu" is historically reported to have emerged from "Chinomukutu wemiseve" – meaning, "that with a load of arrows"...
in the north, and Mwenezi, and Chiredzi in the south and east respectively. All these seven districts have business centres known as growth points and they are as follows with estimation of distance from Masvingo city centre: Masvingo- Nemanwa (30 km), Bikita- Nyika (82 km), Zaka- Jerera (96 km), Gutu- Mpandawana (94 km).
Elections
Masvingo was generally regarded as a stronghold of ZANU-PF, the ruling party. In the last parliamentary elections of 2005, ZANU-PF won all but one district of the fourteen seats up for grabs. In the upcoming election of March, 2008 the seven districts have been cut to produce 26 constituencies.Attractions
The province has a number of attractions. In the east of the province along the MozambiqueMozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
border is Gonarezhou National Park
Gonarezhou National Park
Gonarezhou National Park is a National Park located in south-eastern Zimbabwe. It is situated in a relatively remote corner of Masvingo Province, south of Chimanimani along the Mozambique border. The park is a lowveld region of baobabs, scrublands and sandstone cliffs...
, part of the Gaza, Kruger
Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers and extends from north to south and from east to west.To the west and south of the Kruger National Park are the two South African provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. In the north is Zimbabwe, and to the east is...
and Gonarezhou Transfrontier National Park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
concept. Less than an hour away to the east lies the world famous stone ruins of Great Zimbabwe National Monument, from which Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
draws its name. A little closer to the stone ruins is Lake Kyle, a huge body of water where people spend time engaged in recreational actives in Mutirikwi Recreational Park. Tourism is a major contributor to the province's GDP, as is agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
.
Personalities
The province has produced a number of illustrious figures in the history of the country. Famous sons of the province include :- Zimbabwe's first vice-president, nationalist and founding father of Zimbabwe, Simon MuzendaSimon Muzenda
Simon Vengai Muzenda was a Shona from the Karanga group, a Zimbabwean politician who served as a Deputy Prime Minister and vice president under President Robert Mugabe, a Shona Zezeru....
;Harvard trained lawyer ,nationalist and politician Edson Zvobgo
Edson Zvobgo
Edson Jonasi Zvobgo was a founder of Zimbabwe's ruling party Zanu-PF, was the Patriotic Front's spokesman at the Lancaster House in late 1979, a Harvard-trained lawyer, and a poet....
, Nationalist Crispen Mandizvidza, ambassador Stanslaus Mudenge and Alois Chidoda; Member Of Parliament Shuvai Mahova; Chief Air-Marshall Josiah Tungamirai
Josiah Tungamirai
Air Chief Marshal Josiah Tungamirai , born Thomas Mberikwazvo, was a Zimbabwean military officer and politician...
; Governor Josiah Hungwe. The popular singer, Paul Matavire
Paul Matavire
Paul Matavire was a blind Zimbabwean musician and songwriter born in Maranda, Mwenezi District. He rose to prominence in the 1980s when he joined the Jairos Jiri Band based in Bulawayo at the Jairos Jiri Rehabilitation Centre. He was then elected to lead the Jairo Jiri Band, as one of Zimbabwe's...
, aka Dr. Love was from Mwenezi
Mwenezi District
Mwenezi is a small district situated in southern Zimbabwe. Mwenzi is bisected by the Mwenezi River and the A4 highway, the main road that connects the town of Beitbridge, on the border with South Africa, to Masvingo.- Background :...
, while Gen. Vitalis Zvinavashe
Vitalis Zvinavashe
Lt. Gen. Vitalis Zvinavashe was a retired former Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces and politician. He was also a member of the Politburo of the ZANU-PF...
, the second supreme commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, is from Gutu, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa who was raised in Chivi.
External links
- Lake Kyle Recreational Park http://www.zimparks.com/html/kyle.html
- Zimbabwean Online Community