Hwange (formerly Wankie) is a town in
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 ...
, located in
Hwange District
Hwange District is an administrative district in northwestern Zimbabwe, in southern Africa.
Location
The district is located in Matabeleland North Province, in northwest Zimbabwe, bordering Botswana and the Republic of Zambia. Its main town, H ...
, in
Matabeleland North Province
Matabeleland North is a province in western Zimbabwe. With a population of 749,017 as of the 2012 census, it is the country's second-least populous province, after Matabeleland South, and is the country's least densely populated province. Matabe ...
, in northwestern Zimbabwe, close to the international borders with
Botswana
Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...
and
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
. It lies approximately , by road, southeast of
Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls ( Lozi: ''Mosi-oa-Tunya'', "The Smoke That Thunders"; Tonga: ''Shungu Namutitima'', "Boiling Water") is a waterfall on the Zambezi River in southern Africa, which provides habitat for several unique species of plants and anim ...
, the nearest large city. The town lies on the
railway line
Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...
from
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 ...
, Zimbabwe's second-largest city, to Victoria Falls. Hwange sits at an elevation of , above sea level.
Overview
The town houses the offices of Hwange Town Council, as well as the headquarters of
Hwange District Administration. Hwange and the surrounding countryside is a centre for the industry in Zimbabwe.
Hwange Colliery
Hwange Colliery Company Limited is the name of a company in Zimbabwe and of its associated coal mining , processing and marketing. It was founded in 1899. Mining operations are located near Hwange (called until 1982 Wankie) in the province of ...
is the largest in the country, with proven reserves that are estimated to last over 1,000 years, at current production levels. The Wankie Coal Field, one of the largest in the world, was discovered here in 1895 by the American Scout
Frederick Russell Burnham
Frederick Russell Burnham DSO (May 11, 1861 – September 1, 1947) was an American scout and world-traveling adventurer. He is known for his service to the British South Africa Company and to the British Army in colonial Africa, and for teach ...
.
Today the coal for the whole country is transported by the mining railway to
Thomson Junction
Thomson Junction is a railway marshalling yard about four miles northwest of Hwange (formerly called Wankie), in the Zimbabwe coal fields area. Thomson Junction is named after A. R. Thomson Esq., General Manager of Wankie Colliery for many year ...
, where it is handed over to the
National Railways of Zimbabwe
The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), formerly Rhodesia Railways, is a state-owned company in Zimbabwe that operates the country's national railway system.
It is headquartered in the city of Bulawayo. In addition to the headquarters, it has ...
(NRZ) for onward transmission. In 2010, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique signed an agreement to develop a railway for the export of coal to
Technobanine Point Technobanine Point is the site of a proposed deepwater port in Mozambique near the capital Maputo.
Transport
It would be connected by an 1100 km long railway line to coal mines in Botswana and also Zimbabwe.
See also
* Railway stations ...
near
Maputo
Maputo (), formerly named Lourenço Marques until 1976, is the Capital city, capital, and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a popul ...
. The cost per tonne of rail transport to the coast amounts to ten times the coast of extraction.
Hwange is also a tourism centre due to the presence of the nearby
Hwange National Park
Hwange National Park (formerly Wankie Game Reserve) is the largest natural reserve in Zimbabwe. It is around 14,600 sq km in area. It lies in the northwest of the country, just off the main road between Bulawayo and Victoria Falls. The neares ...
, the largest National Park in Zimbabwe. The national park is home to a vast number of elephant, giraffe, lion and other wildlife.
Royal Bank Zimbabwe
Royal Bank Zimbabwe, whose complete name is Royal Bank Zimbabwe Limited, commonly referred to as Royal Bank, was a licensed commercial bank in that formerly operated in Zimbabwe.
Overview
Royal Bank was a privately owned financial institution and ...
, a
commercial bank
A commercial bank is a financial institution which accepts deposits from the public and gives loans for the purposes of consumption and investment to make profit.
It can also refer to a bank, or a division of a large bank, which deals with cor ...
, maintains a branch in the town. Zimbabwe's biggest power plant,
Hwange Thermal Power Station
The Hwange Thermal Power Station is the biggest power plant in Zimbabwe with an installed capacity of 920 MW. It is owned and operated by the national electricity company Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority. It was built in two stages a ...
, was built here in the 1980s.
History
The town is named after the chieftain of Zwange, who is now called ''Chief Hwange''. The town was known as Wankie until 1982.
Wankie Coal Mine Disaster
In June 1972, the deadliest mining disaster in the country's history took place when an underground explosion occurred in Wankie No.2 Colliery. Four hundred and twenty-seven miners lost their lives; three hundred and ninety-one Africans and thirty-six Europeans. Apart from the one hundred and seventy-six Rhodesians who died, there were ninety-one Zambians, fifty-two from Mozambique, thirty-seven from Malawi, thirty Tanzanians, thirteen from South West Africa, and one from Botswana.
Population
The current population of the town is not publicly known. According to the 1992 Population Census, the town had a population of 42,581. In 2015, the population of Hwange was estimated at 38,000.
Next Population Census In Zimbabwe Scheduled For August 2012
/ref>
Climate
Sports
First-class cricket has been played in Hwange, at the well established cricket venue located in the town, the Tom Kenton Oval, home of the Hwange (Wankie) cricket club.
Earlier called the Wankie Oval.
Hwange Colliery F.C. (formerly known as Wankie Colliery F.C.) is a Hwange- based Premier Soccer League club, promoted to division One in 2009.
See also
* Districts of Zimbabwe
The Republic of Zimbabwe is broken down into 10 administrative provinces, which are divided into 59 districts and 1,200 wards.
Bulawayo Province
* Bulawayo
Harare Province
* Harare
Manicaland Province
* Buhera
* Chi ...
* Provinces of Zimbabwe
Provinces are constituent Polity, political entities of Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe currently has ten provinces, two of which are City, cities with provincial status. Zimbabwe is a unitary state, and its provinces exercise only the powers that the centra ...
* Odilo Weeger
Rev. Fr. Odilo (Otto) Weeger, CMM (14 October 1912 – 8 June 2006) was a Roman Catholic missionary in Matabeleland, Southern Africa. He arrived in Africa in July 1938 and was based at Mariannhill in Natal, South Africa. He was later transferred ...
References
{{Authority control
Populated places in Zimbabwe