Filabusi is a town in the

Matabeleland South Province Matabeleland South is a province in southwestern Zimbabwe. With a population of 683,893 as of the 2012 Zimbabwean census, it is the country's least populous province. After Matabeleland North, it is Zimbabwe's second-least densely populated p ...

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

. The town is the district capital of

Insiza District Insiza District is one of the seven districts located in the province of Matabeleland South of Zimbabwe. It is a rural area. Insiza District lies to the South East of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe and borders Gwanda District to the South, Zvishavane Dist ...

and a service centre for the surrounding mining and farming areas.

Location

Filabusi lies off the Mbalabala–Mutare Road, approximately , southeast of

Bulawayo Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council cl ...

, the nearest large city. This is approximately , by road, west of

Zvishavane Zvishavane (known until 1982 as Shabani) is a mining town in Midlands Province, Zimbabwe. Surrounded by low hills, it lies west of Masvingo, on the main Bulawayo-Masvingo road. Other roads lead from Zvishavane to Gweru, north, and Mberengwa, ...

, in

Zvishavane District Zvishavane District is one of the eight districts in Midlands Province of Zimbabwe. It has Mberengwa District to the south and Shurugwi District to the north. Its capital is Zvishavane town. Economy Zvishavane District is home of Zvisha ...

. The geographical coordinates of Filabusi are 20°31'46.0"S, 29°17'12.0"E (Latitude:-20.529444; Longitude:29.286667). The town sits at an average elevation of above mean sea level.

Overview

The town of Filabusi is supplied with water from a

weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

on the

Insiza River The Insiza River is the principal tributary of the Mzingwane River in Zimbabwe. It rises near Fort Rixon, Insiza District, and flows into the Mzingwane River near West Nicholson. Hydrology The upper reaches of the Insiza River are ephemeral, ...

. The Filabusi Mining District was a major producer of

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

, with mines such as Fred and Royal Family.

Nickel Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive but large pieces are slow to ...

was mined at Epoch Mines, owned by

Bindura Nickel Corporation Bindura Nickel Corporation (BNC) is a mining company based in Zimbabwe's Mashonaland Central.

Asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

was also mined at Pangani and Croft. However all these large scale mining operations are now closed, with mining in the district limited to small scale artisanal gold mining.

Population

The 2012 national population census put the population of Filabusi at 1,756 inhabitants.

Agriculture

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

in the Filabusi area is mostly

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

ranching, with some small-scale farming (see photo), the latter mainly on land expropriated from Caucasian settlers, as part of the Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP).

Other considerations

The town hosts a hospital; the Filabusi District Hospital and a high school, the Filabusi High School. There are two private surgeries and a retail pharmacy. Filabusi is also home to ''Godlwayo Culture Centre'', which hosted the 2016 Annual Zimbabwe Culture Week.

References

External links

Filabusi Memorial and the Edkins Store Killings
{{Matabeleland South Province Insiza District Populated places in Matabeleland South Province