Wedza District
Encyclopedia
Wedza is a district in the province of Mashonaland East
, Zimbabwe
. It is located about 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) south of Marondera
, and 127 kilometres (78.9 mi) south of Harare
. The Mbire people of the Soko Clan were the early inhabitants who mined iron
in the Hwedza hills which means "a place of wealth". A village was established in 1910. Gold
, beryl
, nickel
and tungsten
was mined in the hills around the village but deposits small to make any mining viable.
on the west and Ruzave (Ruzawi) river on the east. Other rivers include Nyamidzi, Mhare, Nyamhembe and Chineyi. Hwedza is climatically divided into two halves, upper Hwedza from St Barnabas Chisasike to Hwedza center onwards which is cooler and has average to high rainfall; and lower Hwedza which is from Mukamba through Goneso and Zviyambe East and West small scale farming area (formerly known as purchase areas) which experiences warmer to hot temperatures and lower rainfall. Even the crops grown in the two parts differ significantly, cotton and sorghum/millet do better in lower Hwedza, while in upper Hwedza the same crops would not yield much.
Hwedza is also famous for mazhanje/mashuku (a wild fruit thats juicy and filling - harvested between late October into early December).
The service centre (growth point) consists of a Spar supermarket, a post office, a filling station, several drinking places and is served by reliable bus services by Chawasarira, Manica, Matemba, Mushandira/Matemai as well as several minibus operators. An airstrip capable of landing small aircraft is also present.
There is a clinic as well as a Hospital at Mt St Marys. Hwedza is also on the national electricity grid. The main crop grown is maize for both subsistence and sale.
's ZANU PF. However, the socio-economic recession that has been part and parcel of Zimbabwe's fabric has been steadily tilting the people toward's the opposition MDC
, as witnessed by Mugabe's defeat in the March 29 Presidential election. However, ZANU PF has regained both Wedza North and Wedza South parliamentary seats (Wedza was one constituency before being split into two).
Domineering names from Wedza include General Constantine Chiwenga, commander in chief of the army; Aeneas Chigwedere, former Minister of Education and recently appointed Mashonaland East
governor; Solomon Tawengwa, ex Harare Mayor, and the late Edmund Garwe, former Education minister.
Several schools are found within the district:
trip. The game park has for years taken part in the Rhinoceros
breeding programme. However of late poachers have killed several of the animals including breeding cows.
, Shona sculpture gallery owner and art collector Rex Mhiripiri, radio personalities Eunice Goto and Dr Zobha and journalists Tarzzen Mandizvidza and Asel Gwekwerere.
Emerging figures include Zimbabwe footballer Tapuwa Kapini
.
Michael Masanga, owner of Zimwaves radio (http://www.zimwavesradio.net) became the first African to make an automatic forex trading robot ( http://www.forex.netbrowse.net). Masanga hails from St Barnabas Ushe but his parents resettled at Chigwedere near the growth point. He also runs Africa's largest search engine http://www.netbrowse.net which offers free e-mail, adwords type advertisement etc.
Mashonaland East
Mashonaland East is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of 32,230 km² and a population of approximately 1.1 million . Marondera is the capital of the province.-Districts:Mashonaland East is divided into eight districts:* Chikomba* Goromonzi...
, 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...
. It is located about 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) south of Marondera
Marondera
Marondera is a town in Mashonaland East, Zimbabwe, located about 72 km east of Harare; population 39,384...
, and 127 kilometres (78.9 mi) south of Harare
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
. The Mbire people of the Soko Clan were the early inhabitants who mined iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
in the Hwedza hills which means "a place of wealth". A village was established in 1910. Gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, beryl
Beryl
The mineral beryl is a beryllium aluminium cyclosilicate with the chemical formula Be3Al26. The hexagonal crystals of beryl may be very small or range to several meters in size. Terminated crystals are relatively rare...
, nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
and tungsten
Tungsten
Tungsten , also known as wolfram , is a chemical element with the chemical symbol W and atomic number 74.A hard, rare metal under standard conditions when uncombined, tungsten is found naturally on Earth only in chemical compounds. It was identified as a new element in 1781, and first isolated as...
was mined in the hills around the village but deposits small to make any mining viable.
Etymology
The word Wedza literally translates to "The lighting of the sun", and myth has it that the word is derived from the location of the ancient town, which was found on the other side of a deep forest.Geography
Hwedza is well connected to other towns by tarred roads. Rusunzwe and Gandamasungo, the famous Wedza mountain range, are some of the most outstanding geographical features in Wedza. Hwedza is between and its boundaries are the Save RiverSave 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...
on the west and Ruzave (Ruzawi) river on the east. Other rivers include Nyamidzi, Mhare, Nyamhembe and Chineyi. Hwedza is climatically divided into two halves, upper Hwedza from St Barnabas Chisasike to Hwedza center onwards which is cooler and has average to high rainfall; and lower Hwedza which is from Mukamba through Goneso and Zviyambe East and West small scale farming area (formerly known as purchase areas) which experiences warmer to hot temperatures and lower rainfall. Even the crops grown in the two parts differ significantly, cotton and sorghum/millet do better in lower Hwedza, while in upper Hwedza the same crops would not yield much.
Hwedza is also famous for mazhanje/mashuku (a wild fruit thats juicy and filling - harvested between late October into early December).
Services and transportation
Wedza is accessible by road from Harare but the roads have depreciated in quality and as a result, bus companies have stopped services the remote parts such as the areas of Chigondo, St Leoba, and Zana Resettlement. However, daily services are run by several minibus operators to the city of Harare and Marondera, usually terminating at Murambinda.The service centre (growth point) consists of a Spar supermarket, a post office, a filling station, several drinking places and is served by reliable bus services by Chawasarira, Manica, Matemba, Mushandira/Matemai as well as several minibus operators. An airstrip capable of landing small aircraft is also present.
There is a clinic as well as a Hospital at Mt St Marys. Hwedza is also on the national electricity grid. The main crop grown is maize for both subsistence and sale.
Economy
The core business was farming with services aligned to the core business also of importance. However retailing had overtaken all else until government pricing policy which was introduced with Operation Dzikisai Mutengo in 2007. It has rendered the majority of business people bankrupt and those still afloat have been failing to find adequate stocks due to the economic woes.Agriculture
As a result of Wedza's unique location entails a vast array of agricultural products. Areas along Watershed Road leading into Wedza from Harare were known for tobacco, maize and paprika production during the warm wet season (October to March). The more southerly part of the district encompassing areas of Makarara, Zviyambe and leading into Dorowa were once a bastion of cotton farming and cattle ranching. The more central part of the district has a history of erratic rain and as such, villages located in this part of the district are often in need of food aid as they often fail to reap meaningful harvests with the unpredictable rainfall patterns.Politics
The Second Chimurenga and its aftermath has for years inclined the popular vote from the district towards Robert MugabeRobert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...
's ZANU PF. However, the socio-economic recession that has been part and parcel of Zimbabwe's fabric has been steadily tilting the people toward's the opposition 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:...
, as witnessed by Mugabe's defeat in the March 29 Presidential election. However, ZANU PF has regained both Wedza North and Wedza South parliamentary seats (Wedza was one constituency before being split into two).
Domineering names from Wedza include General Constantine Chiwenga, commander in chief of the army; Aeneas Chigwedere, former Minister of Education and recently appointed Mashonaland East
Mashonaland East
Mashonaland East is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of 32,230 km² and a population of approximately 1.1 million . Marondera is the capital of the province.-Districts:Mashonaland East is divided into eight districts:* Chikomba* Goromonzi...
governor; Solomon Tawengwa, ex Harare Mayor, and the late Edmund Garwe, former Education minister.
Education
Notable schools from the Wedza area are St Annes Goto (Anglican), Mt St Marys (Catholic), Chemhanza (Methodist) and Hwedza High School (government). Other institutions include Matsine, Chigwedere, Gumbonzvanda, St Margaret's Chigondo, Nhumwa, St Leoba's, Holy Spirit Ruzane, St Anderson Mutiweshiri, Makanda, Barnabas and Rambanapasito name but a few.Several schools are found within the district:
- Primary Schools
- St Margaret's Chigondo Primary School
- St Matthias Ruswa Primary School
- St Joseph's Primary School
- Gumbonzvanda Primary School
- Chemhanza Primary School
- Mt St Mary's (Rusunzwe) Primary School
- Secondary Schools
- Mt St Mary's High School
- St Annes Goto High School
- Chemhanza High School
- Warikandwa High School
Tourism
The location of Imire Game Park within the district makes it a somehow good location for a safariSafari
A safari is an overland journey, usually a trip by tourists to Africa. Traditionally, the term is used for a big-game hunt, but today the term often refers to a trip taken not for the purposes of hunting, but to observe and photograph animals and other wildlife.-Etymology:Entering the English...
trip. The game park has for years taken part in the Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
breeding programme. However of late poachers have killed several of the animals including breeding cows.
Famous residents
Several people of prominence in civil society and government have emerged from Wedza. These include former Warriors coach Sunday Chidzambwa, Zifa Chairman Wellington Nyatanga, army general Constantine ChiwengaConstantine Chiwenga
- Personal life :He was born in 1956 in Hwedza district of Mashonaland East Province. General Chiwenga was educated up to Form 4 at St Mary's Mission in Hwedza, together with Air Marshal Perence Shiri and Brigadier General Shungu, Commander Mechanised Brigade....
, Shona sculpture gallery owner and art collector Rex Mhiripiri, radio personalities Eunice Goto and Dr Zobha and journalists Tarzzen Mandizvidza and Asel Gwekwerere.
Emerging figures include Zimbabwe footballer Tapuwa Kapini
Tapuwa Kapini
Tapuwa Kapini is a football goalkeeper and member of the Zimbabwe national football team. He currently plays for AmaZulu in the South African Premier Soccer League.His first club was Highlanders FC.-External links:* at National Football Teams...
.
Michael Masanga, owner of Zimwaves radio (http://www.zimwavesradio.net) became the first African to make an automatic forex trading robot ( http://www.forex.netbrowse.net). Masanga hails from St Barnabas Ushe but his parents resettled at Chigwedere near the growth point. He also runs Africa's largest search engine http://www.netbrowse.net which offers free e-mail, adwords type advertisement etc.