Maranda, locally known as "No. 1", is a small business center on the northern edge of
Mwenezi (District), Zimbabwe. It is the home town of Dr. Love (
Paul Matavire), the former popular musician and
Nikita Mangena
Rodgers Alfred Nikita Mangena (16 March 1943 – 28 June 1978), born Rodgers Alfred Mangena in the Maranda area, commanded the Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA), the militant branch of the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), in ...
,
Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army
Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) was the military wing of the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), a Marxist–Leninist political party in Rhodesia. It participated in the Rhodesian Bush War against white minority rule of Rho ...
military leader during the
Second Chimurenga war. It is a center of trade in the district, with people coming to sell their cattle in week-long trade fairs. The centre has a clinic and government agriculture and water offices.The land is occupied by The Vapfumbi people who speak Chipfumbi of the Kalanga and Karanga family and also partly the VhaVenda people who speak Tshivenda language.
Geography
Maranda is surrounded by granite mountains such as Bangwe, Rasha and Nemande. These are the source of the
Mushawe River, which flows through the business centre and supplies the centre with water. The water is abstracted from the alluvial
aquifer
An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials ( gravel, sand, or silt). Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. Aquifers vary greatly in their characteris ...
below the Mushawe River, and is generally available year-round
[Love, D. de Hamer, W., Owen, R.J.S., Booij, M.J., Uhlenbrook, S., Hoekstra, A. and van der Zaag, P. 2007. Case studies of groundwater – surface water interactions and scale relationships in small alluvial aquifers. In: Abstract volume, 8th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium, Lusaka, Zambia, November 2007, p21.]
Rainfall is erratic and the vegetation is savanna dominated by grasses and
Mopane
''Colophospermum mopane'', commonly called mopane, mopani, balsam tree, butterfly tree, or turpentine tree, is a tree in the legume family (Fabaceae), that grows in hot, dry, low-lying areas, in elevation, in the far northern parts of southern A ...
trees. In the days of old, the villagers used to plant
millet and
sorghum but these days most villagers plant maize on account of the high yields associated with it.
Market
No. 1 is a popular destination in the district, especially during the week-long market days when residents from the surrounding villagers descend on the business center to sell their merchandise. Most people sell their cattle, while other just come to the market to dance to
sungura music from singers like
Alick Macheso and
Khiama Boys.
Government & politics
Maranda is in ward 9, in the newly created
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.
Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible gove ...
seat of
Mwenezi West
Mwenezi is a small district situated in southern Zimbabwe. It is bisected by the Mwenezi River and the A4 highway, the main thoroughfare that connects the town of Beitbridge, on the border with South Africa, to Masvingo.
Background
Mwenezi deri ...
.
See also
*
Mwenezi District
*
Manyuchi Dam
*
Mushawe 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 Valley that bisects the district into two sectors. The river is found in b ...
References
{{Masvingo Province
Business Centers in Mwenezi (District)
Populated places in Masvingo Province
Mwenezi (District)