Mwenezi District
Encyclopedia
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
.
Mwenezi district lies in natural regions four and five. The district is prone to droughts and experiences Low Mean Annual rainfall patterns. The majority of households in Mwenezi District depend on agricultural production. This includes livestock rearing. The low rainfall pattern has created a desire to shift more towards livestock farming especially cattle and goats, although the majority of households indicate that they have not been able to restock after the severe drought of 1992.
but close to Manyuchi Dam
, Dengenya Primary School between Mwenezi and Mushawe River, Maranda High and Mwenezi Govt. School, Guiding Star Secondary School. However, not all villages in the district are serviced with secondary schools. Some students, especially those villages along the Mwenezi River
below the main wall of the Manyuchi Dam
, they still have to walk long distances to school, on average fifteen to twenty kilometers. This state of affairs discourages students from going to school, instead they all opt to cross the border and go to South Africa
.
. The cattle rachers, before the invasions of commercial farms in 2000, used to employ a considerable number of people. Just like in most rural districts in the country, many people are employed in the civil service.
The people in the district had always trekked to the mines of South Africa
. However, the number of those people has increased in recent due to the economic recession that the country has been going through. Very few young man and women remain the village across the districts, preferring to take their chances in South Africa
working from one menial contract job to another. The fact that the Beitbridge
and the border with South Africa
makes their trek easier.
In the past, the district generated some revenue from tourism, with large numbers of tourists visiting the private game parks in the district and the nearby Manyuchi Dam
.
The district has many service centres and business centres of varying sizes and economic vibrancy. Among these, Neshuro
, Sarahuru, Sengejira, Maranda
and Chaoma are of noteworthy. The witdrawal of government funded grain collection/distribution facilities as part of neoliberla reforms in the 1990s and the recent economic woes of the country (1998–2008) led to the decline of these business centers. However, some like Neshuro have continued to grow, with water and poor roads the major bottlenecks to investment.
. Isaiah Shumba was the member of parliament for Mwenezi (District), who won both the 2000 and 2005 elections on a ZANU-PF ticket.
's new House of Assembly
. Each of the wards in the district has an elected official who works at the rural district council. The district has been a stronghold of ZANU-PF since independence in 1980. That trend didn't change in the elections of 2008.
The district was divided into to parts, namely Mwenezi West
and Mwenezi East, for the general elections of 2008. Candidates from both the MDC
and ZANU-PF competed for the two constituency seats. The winners will represent the district in the House of Assembly
in the parliament of Zimbabwe
. Mwenezi (District), together with Chivi (District)
, will elect a member to the new Zimbabwe Senate.
Isiah Shumba,the former MP for Mwenezi constituency, was arrested with twelve other ZANU-PF supporters for political violence and intimidation in the run up to the harmonized elections of 2008. He took a violent avenue after he had lost in the ZANU-Pf primary elections, a fact he didn't like. He had run for the Mwenezi East seat and had lost to Kudakwashe Bhasikiti (2793 votes) and Cletos Muchara with 214 votes. Isiah Shumba was a distant third, with 48 votes.
. Bhasikiti Kudakwashe (Zanu-PF), Murambwi Ananias (MDC Tsvangirai), and Chidyamakono Tavengwa (Independent) ran for the Mewnezi East House of Assembly seat. Bhasikiti won with 9696 to 2477 of Murambwi.
There are nine wards in the district, namely 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17. Mwenezi West comprises the area that is south of the Mwenezi River
, including Manyuchi Dam
. Masukume Pilot (Zanu-PF) and Tedious Douglas (MDC Tsvangirai) battled it out for the Mwenezi west constituency. Pilot won the contest with a landslide of 12636 to Tedeous's 1577.
referral chain: Entry level : Rural Health Centers, Rural Hospitals and Urban Clinics (services do not require an attending
Physician); First Referral Level : District Hospitals; Second Referral Level : Provincial and General Hospitals, and Third Referral Level : Central and Special Hospitals.
Most of the health care facilities in the district are owned and run by the government's Ministry of Health & Child Welfare although local communities are involved in the management of some clinis. The main referral hospital is Mwenezi District Hosptial (at Neshuro). Previously Neshuro clinic, it was upgraded by the Chinese to a Rural Hospital in the late 1980s. The Catholic run Matibi Mission hospital to the north west (bordesr with Mberengwa District) also acts as another referral hospital. There are several poly-clinics scattered across the district that offer primary health care to people from the villages in the district. In recent years as the economy of Zimbabwe
has declined, there has been a shortage of drugs and equipment at all the hospitals although staffing levels by end of 2010 had improved. Communities also rely heavily on traditional medicines.
The major diseases that affect the people in the district include TB
and Malaria
. Owing to the low rates of literacy, especially in Mwenezi West
, TB remains a threat to the district as affected usually don't finish the treatment regime course.
/AIDS
. However, cases of the malady have been reported to be on the increase in recent years as the highly mobile youth that venture to South Africa
in search of jobs gets exposed to the virus.
, all other roads in the district are of macadamized gravel roads. During the rain season, despite the best efforts of DDF, they get washed away. Most of the places are accessible only by four-wheel-drive enabled vehicles. Some of the vital bridges, destroyed during Cyclone Eline, have yet to be repaired. Phone lines connect most of the business centers with the outside world. On the whole, the basic mode of transport is by donkey cart.
beyond the Maranda
communal lands is dominated by some of the largest ranches found in the country. Nuanesti Ranch, reputed to be the largest freestanding ranch in the whole province if now the whole country, is found in the district along the A1 highway
between Masvingo
and Beitbridge
. These ranches provide some of the basic infrastructure, from schools, clinics to roads and dip-tanks.
Since the farm invasions of early 2000, peasant farmers from the communal lands of both Matibi
, north of the Mwenezi River
, and those from Maranda
communal lands south of the river, invaded some of the arid ranches found in the district, changing the map of land use in the district.
the popular singer who sang under Paul Matavire and the Jairos Jiri Band, many great songs before his untimely death. Matavire was a social worker who was left blind by glaucoma as a child.
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...
. Mwenzi is bisected by the Mwenezi River
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 the A4
A4 road (Zimbabwe)
The A4 is a highway between Beitbridge and Masvingo in Zimbabwe.The road passes through Rutenga in Mwenezi District.- See also :* Trans-African Highway network...
highway, the main road that connects the town of 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:...
, on the border with South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, to 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 :...
.
Background
Mwenezi District derives it name from the mighty Mwenezi River which provides irrigation water to the sugarcane plantations in and around Rutenga Business Center. Although the police station is located along the highway, the main administrative offices are located at Neshuro Business Center. In 2002, the population of the drought prone district was estimated at 126,000, up by 25,000 from 1992, the year of the drought. The weather is hot and dry throughout the year, except during the summer when the rains come.Mwenezi district lies in natural regions four and five. The district is prone to droughts and experiences Low Mean Annual rainfall patterns. The majority of households in Mwenezi District depend on agricultural production. This includes livestock rearing. The low rainfall pattern has created a desire to shift more towards livestock farming especially cattle and goats, although the majority of households indicate that they have not been able to restock after the severe drought of 1992.
Education
Like in other rural parts of the country, all the schools in the district are government run although some have historical links with missionary Christian Churches. There is one boarding school, namely Lundi Secondary School (Free Methodist Church). The fact that all the secondary schools (other than Lundi Secondary School) were established after independence is testimony to the marginalisation of the distirct and the 'catch up' it has to do. Though Zimbabwe has one of the highest literacy rates in the world, in some Mwenezi communities such as Maranda, a former designated Native Reserve before independence in 1980, the rate could be as low as 50%.Secondary and primary schools
Some of the notable schools in the districts include Lundi Secondary School situated along the Masvingo- Beitbridge Road, Mabhare Secondary School north of the Mwenezi RiverMwenezi 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...
but close to Manyuchi Dam
Manyuchi Dam
Manyuchi Dam forms a reservoir on the Mwenezi River in southern Zimbabwe. It is located in the Mwenezi District. The building of the dam was financed by the Mwenezi Development Corporation...
, Dengenya Primary School between Mwenezi and Mushawe River, Maranda High and Mwenezi Govt. School, Guiding Star Secondary School. However, not all villages in the district are serviced with secondary schools. Some students, especially those villages along the Mwenezi River
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...
below the main wall of the Manyuchi Dam
Manyuchi Dam
Manyuchi Dam forms a reservoir on the Mwenezi River in southern Zimbabwe. It is located in the Mwenezi District. The building of the dam was financed by the Mwenezi Development Corporation...
, they still have to walk long distances to school, on average fifteen to twenty kilometers. This state of affairs discourages students from going to school, instead they all opt to cross the border and go to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Economy
The main employer in the district is sugar cane plantations in RutengaRutenga
Rutenga is a growth point in Masvingo Province in Zimbabwe. It straddles the A4 highway between Beitbridge and Masvingo. It is the defacto capital of Mwenezi .- Background :...
. The cattle rachers, before the invasions of commercial farms in 2000, used to employ a considerable number of people. Just like in most rural districts in the country, many people are employed in the civil service.
The people in the district had always trekked to the mines of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. However, the number of those people has increased in recent due to the economic recession that the country has been going through. Very few young man and women remain the village across the districts, preferring to take their chances in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
working from one menial contract job to another. The fact that the 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:...
and the border with South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
makes their trek easier.
In the past, the district generated some revenue from tourism, with large numbers of tourists visiting the private game parks in the district and the nearby Manyuchi Dam
Manyuchi Dam
Manyuchi Dam forms a reservoir on the Mwenezi River in southern Zimbabwe. It is located in the Mwenezi District. The building of the dam was financed by the Mwenezi Development Corporation...
.
Business centers
Neshuro
Neshuro is an administrative center for Mwenezi District in Masvingo Province, south-eastern Zimbabwe. It also acts as one of the largest business centers in the drought-prone district. It is the staging front base from which aid organizations like CARE International, Oxfam launch their...
, Sarahuru, Sengejira, Maranda
Maranda, Zimbabwe
Maranda, locally known as "No. 1", is a small business center on the northern edge of Mwenezi . It is the home town of Dr. Love, Paul Matavire the former popular musician and Nikita Mangena, ZIPRA military leader during the Second Chimurenga war. It is a center of trade in the district, with people...
and Chaoma are of noteworthy. The witdrawal of government funded grain collection/distribution facilities as part of neoliberla reforms in the 1990s and the recent economic woes of the country (1998–2008) led to the decline of these business centers. However, some like Neshuro have continued to grow, with water and poor roads the major bottlenecks to investment.
Government and politics
Like other districts in Masvingo Province, ZANU-PF dominates in the politics of the district. Ever since independence, the constituency has been represented by a ZANU-PF party member in the parliament of ZimbabweZimbabwe
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...
. Isaiah Shumba was the member of parliament for Mwenezi (District), who won both the 2000 and 2005 elections on a ZANU-PF ticket.
General elections 2008
The district now sends two members to ZimbabweZimbabwe
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...
's new House of Assembly
House of Assembly
House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level....
. Each of the wards in the district has an elected official who works at the rural district council. The district has been a stronghold of ZANU-PF since independence in 1980. That trend didn't change in the elections of 2008.
The district was divided into to parts, namely Mwenezi West
Mwenezi West
Mwenezi West is the sub-district curved out of Mwenezi District for the 2008 House of Assembly elections. It is found in southern Zimbabwe south of the might Mwenezi River....
and Mwenezi East, for the general elections of 2008. Candidates from both the MDC
Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai
The Movement for Democratic Change Zimbabwe is a political party and the largest party in the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe. It is the main formation formed from the split of the original Movement for Democratic Change in 2005.-Foundation:...
and ZANU-PF competed for the two constituency seats. The winners will represent the district in the House of Assembly
House of Assembly
House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level....
in the parliament of 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...
. Mwenezi (District), together with Chivi (District)
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...
, will elect a member to the new Zimbabwe Senate.
Political violence
Ever since 2000, there has been sporadic reports of violence in the district, mostly perpetrated by ZANU-PF supporters and war veterans on their perceived enemies.Isiah Shumba,the former MP for Mwenezi constituency, was arrested with twelve other ZANU-PF supporters for political violence and intimidation in the run up to the harmonized elections of 2008. He took a violent avenue after he had lost in the ZANU-Pf primary elections, a fact he didn't like. He had run for the Mwenezi East seat and had lost to Kudakwashe Bhasikiti (2793 votes) and Cletos Muchara with 214 votes. Isiah Shumba was a distant third, with 48 votes.
Mwenezi East
There are a total of eight wards in this part of the district: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, and 18. This part of the district includes the large chunk of land that is north of the Mwenezi RiverMwenezi 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...
. Bhasikiti Kudakwashe (Zanu-PF), Murambwi Ananias (MDC Tsvangirai), and Chidyamakono Tavengwa (Independent) ran for the Mewnezi East House of Assembly seat. Bhasikiti won with 9696 to 2477 of Murambwi.
Mwenezi West
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...
, including Manyuchi Dam
Manyuchi Dam
Manyuchi Dam forms a reservoir on the Mwenezi River in southern Zimbabwe. It is located in the Mwenezi District. The building of the dam was financed by the Mwenezi Development Corporation...
. Masukume Pilot (Zanu-PF) and Tedious Douglas (MDC Tsvangirai) battled it out for the Mwenezi west constituency. Pilot won the contest with a landslide of 12636 to Tedeous's 1577.
Health care
Public health care is delivered at four levels which are meant to function as areferral chain: Entry level : Rural Health Centers, Rural Hospitals and Urban Clinics (services do not require an attending
Physician); First Referral Level : District Hospitals; Second Referral Level : Provincial and General Hospitals, and Third Referral Level : Central and Special Hospitals.
Most of the health care facilities in the district are owned and run by the government's Ministry of Health & Child Welfare although local communities are involved in the management of some clinis. The main referral hospital is Mwenezi District Hosptial (at Neshuro). Previously Neshuro clinic, it was upgraded by the Chinese to a Rural Hospital in the late 1980s. The Catholic run Matibi Mission hospital to the north west (bordesr with Mberengwa District) also acts as another referral hospital. There are several poly-clinics scattered across the district that offer primary health care to people from the villages in the district. In recent years as the economy of 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...
has declined, there has been a shortage of drugs and equipment at all the hospitals although staffing levels by end of 2010 had improved. Communities also rely heavily on traditional medicines.
The major diseases that affect the people in the district include TB
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and Malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
. Owing to the low rates of literacy, especially in Mwenezi West
Mwenezi West
Mwenezi West is the sub-district curved out of Mwenezi District for the 2008 House of Assembly elections. It is found in southern Zimbabwe south of the might Mwenezi River....
, TB remains a threat to the district as affected usually don't finish the treatment regime course.
HIV/AIDS
The remoteness of the district from over areas has spared it from the scourge of HIVHIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. However, cases of the malady have been reported to be on the increase in recent years as the highly mobile youth that venture to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in search of jobs gets exposed to the virus.
Infrastructure development
Road network
The district is serviced by a network of roads, mostly gravel roads. Apart from the shoulder-less A1 highwayA1 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....
, all other roads in the district are of macadamized gravel roads. During the rain season, despite the best efforts of DDF, they get washed away. Most of the places are accessible only by four-wheel-drive enabled vehicles. Some of the vital bridges, destroyed during Cyclone Eline, have yet to be repaired. Phone lines connect most of the business centers with the outside world. On the whole, the basic mode of transport is by donkey cart.
General
The area south of the Mwenezi RiverMwenezi 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...
beyond the Maranda
Maranda, Zimbabwe
Maranda, locally known as "No. 1", is a small business center on the northern edge of Mwenezi . It is the home town of Dr. Love, Paul Matavire the former popular musician and Nikita Mangena, ZIPRA military leader during the Second Chimurenga war. It is a center of trade in the district, with people...
communal lands is dominated by some of the largest ranches found in the country. Nuanesti Ranch, reputed to be the largest freestanding ranch in the whole province if now the whole country, is found in the district along the 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....
between 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:...
. These ranches provide some of the basic infrastructure, from schools, clinics to roads and dip-tanks.
Since the farm invasions of early 2000, peasant farmers from the communal lands of both Matibi
Matibi
Matibi is a former native reserve, now known as a communal land, in Southern Zimbabwe. It is found in the northern section of Mwenezi , north east of Manyuchi Dam and the mighty Mwenezi River; bordered by Belingwe communals lands to the north and Maranda communal lands to the south...
, north of the Mwenezi River
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 those from Maranda
Maranda, Zimbabwe
Maranda, locally known as "No. 1", is a small business center on the northern edge of Mwenezi . It is the home town of Dr. Love, Paul Matavire the former popular musician and Nikita Mangena, ZIPRA military leader during the Second Chimurenga war. It is a center of trade in the district, with people...
communal lands south of the river, invaded some of the arid ranches found in the district, changing the map of land use in the district.
Personalities
Paul MatavirePaul 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...
the popular singer who sang under Paul Matavire and the Jairos Jiri Band, many great songs before his untimely death. Matavire was a social worker who was left blind by glaucoma as a child.