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Masvingo is a city in south-eastern
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 ...
and the capital of
Masvingo Province Masvingo is a province in southeastern Zimbabwe. It has a population of 1.485 million as of the 2012 census, ranking fifth out of Zimbabwe's ten provinces. Established as Victoria Province by the British South Africa Company, it was one of the ...
. The city is situated close to
Great Zimbabwe Great Zimbabwe is a medieval city in the south-eastern hills of Zimbabwe near Lake Mutirikwi and the town of Masvingo. It is thought to have been the capital of a great kingdom during the country's Late Iron Age about which little is known. Con ...
, the national monument from which the country takes its name and close to
Lake Mutirikwi Lake Mutirikwi, formerly known as Lake Kyle or Kyle Dam, lies in south eastern Zimbabwe, south east of Masvingo. It is thought to have been named Lake Kyle, from the Kyle farm which occupied most of the land required for the lake, which in turn w ...
, its recreational park, the Kyle dam and the Kyle National Reserve where there are many different animal species. It is mostly populated by the Karanga people who form the biggest branch of the various Shona tribes in Zimbabwe.


History

The city was known as Fort Victoria until 1982, when its name was briefly changed to Nyanda, after a mountain about 10 kilometres south of the town, on the Masvingo to Beitbridge Road. That led to protests, because "nyanda" means "one who has lice", and public sentiment was that Masvingo would be more reflective of the history of the city. Within a few months, the name was changed to Masvingo, which means "fort" in Shona, and the
Great Zimbabwe Great Zimbabwe is a medieval city in the south-eastern hills of Zimbabwe near Lake Mutirikwi and the town of Masvingo. It is thought to have been the capital of a great kingdom during the country's Late Iron Age about which little is known. Con ...
, which is essentially a walled fort, is often referred to as "Masvingo eZimbabwe" or sometime "Masvingo eVitori," meaning "the fort near Fort Victoria". Masvingo is the oldest colonial settlement in Zimbabwe, and developed around an encampment established in 1890, when the
British South Africa Company The British South Africa Company (BSAC or BSACo) was chartered in 1889 following the amalgamation of Cecil Rhodes' Central Search Association and the London-based Exploring Company Ltd, which had originally competed to capitalize on the expecte ...
"Pioneer Column" of the first European colonists passed through on their way to what became Salisbury, now
Harare Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...
. The Old Fort national monument is located in the centre of town, and was erected in 1891 as one of a series of fortifications to guard the route from Salisbury to the south. The very first
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
match A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...
in Zimbabwe is said to have taken place close by, in 1890.


Demographics

The population was approximately 15,000 in 1970; 30,523 in 1982 and rose to 51,743 in 1992. It had a population of approximately 58,000 in 2002 and is said to have passed the 100.000 peg in 2008. Masvingo is located south of
Harare Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...
. Most of the local population belongs to the Karanga
Shona Shona often refers to: * Shona people, a Southern African people * Shona language, a Bantu language spoken by Shona people today Shona may also refer to: * ''Shona'' (album), 1994 album by New Zealand singer Shona Laing * Shona (given name) * S ...
ethnic group. The city is divided into suburbs including Mucheke,
Rujeko Rujeko is a suburb of Masvingo in south-eastern Zimbabwe. It is the second largest high density suburb, located south east of Masvingo. There are two masvingo city run primary schools A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Aust ...
, Rhodene,
Target Kopje Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, f ...
and Eastvale. The suburbs are divided into high-density, middle-density and low-density suburbs. Mucheke, the oldest township and
Rujeko Rujeko is a suburb of Masvingo in south-eastern Zimbabwe. It is the second largest high density suburb, located south east of Masvingo. There are two masvingo city run primary schools A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Aust ...
are the most populous high-density suburbs. Mucheke is also the site of the city's main bus rank as well as the stadium which is named after the ghetto. KMP and Runyararo suburbs are relatively new high and medium density suburbs beyond Mucheke. The middle-density suburbs are Eastvale located close to Zimuto Police Camp and
Target Kopje Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, f ...
located on the southern part of town on a small hill close to
Flamboyant Hotel Flamboyant (from ) is a form of late Gothic architecture that developed in Europe in the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance, from around 1375 to the mid-16th century. It is characterized by double curves forming flame-like shapes in the bar-tr ...
. Rhodene, a low-density suburb on the northern part of the city centre, is the most affluent suburb in Masvingo. A new suburban development, Zimre Park, is also taking shape to the north east of the town along Bulawayo Road. Another suburban development is taking place close to the affluent Clipsham Park and is aptly named Clipsham Heights as it straddles the hills running parallel to the Beitbridge-Masvingo road. Masvingo also has peri-urban plots such as Morningside, Glenlivet, and Bushmead.


Education

Masvingo Polytechnic,
Great Zimbabwe University Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) is an institution of higher learning in the city of Masvingo, Zimbabwe. It is currently situated on the Masvingo Teachers’ College campus seven kilometres east of Masvingo CBD. Currently the institution has a nu ...
, Bondolfi Teachers College, Morgenster Teachers College and Masvingo Teachers College are the main centres of higher education in the city. The three institutes are run by the government, while Bondolfi and Morgenster are privately owned.
Great Zimbabwe University Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) is an institution of higher learning in the city of Masvingo, Zimbabwe. It is currently situated on the Masvingo Teachers’ College campus seven kilometres east of Masvingo CBD. Currently the institution has a nu ...
grew out of what was once
Masvingo State University Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) is an institution of higher learning in the city of Masvingo, Zimbabwe. It is currently situated on the Masvingo Teachers’ College campus seven kilometres east of Masvingo CBD. Currently the institution has a nu ...
. Reformed Church University (RCU) is another university south of Masvingo run by the Reformed Church of Zimbabwe. It was formerly the Great Zimbabwe University. Masvingo Teachers' College is one of the government run colleges from which Great Zimbabwe devolved. The college has still remained at the campus and the university has a new site. Other teachers' colleges around Masvingo include the Reformed Church of Zimbabwe run Morgenster Teachers' College and the Catholic run Bondolfi Teachers' College. High schools in the city include Victoria High School, located just north of the city centre. Kyle College, Masvingo Christian High School, Ndarama High School and Mucheke High School. There are also privately run high schools commonly referred to as colleges around the city. Pamushana High School, Zimuto High school,
Gokomere High School Gokomere High School is a boarding school sixteen km from Masvingo, Zimbabwe. It was founded in July 1898 as a centre for vocational training and Sunday School. Secondary education started in 1910 under the captainship of the Jesuit Fathers. ...
are some of the highly esteemed mission boarding schools in
Masvingo Province Masvingo is a province in southeastern Zimbabwe. It has a population of 1.485 million as of the 2012 census, ranking fifth out of Zimbabwe's ten provinces. Established as Victoria Province by the British South Africa Company, it was one of the ...
and are all located few kilometres outside town.


Geography

The landscape in southern Zimbabwe is relatively flat, interspersed with rounded granite mountains. Known as
kopjes An inselberg or monadnock () is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain. In Southern Africa a similar formation of granite is known as a koppie, a ...
(Dutch: little heads), they are often quite smooth.
Msasa ''Brachystegia spiciformis'', commonly known as zebrawood, or msasa, is a medium-sized African tree having compound leaves and racemes of small fragrant green flowers. The tree is broad and has a distinctive amber and wine red colour when the y ...
trees dominate the savannah landscape, with the occasional baobab tree. The weather is hot and dry throughout the year, except during the summer when the rains come. There is a range of small hills to the south of the city centre. Mucheke and Shagashe rivers run close to the centre and both of them act as de facto boundaries of the central business district. Robert Mugabe way, one of the city's main streets, is lined with pine trees adjacent to some of the oldest buildings in Zimbabwe such as The victoria hotel and the building opposite to it that now houses The High Court of Zimbabwe. The tallest building is the 9-storey Zimre center located in the CBD. The Bell Tower is a historical building and formed part of the fort erected by the British South African Company in 1892 to protect settlers around Fort Victoria. The town lies near
Lake Mutirikwi Lake Mutirikwi, formerly known as Lake Kyle or Kyle Dam, lies in south eastern Zimbabwe, south east of Masvingo. It is thought to have been named Lake Kyle, from the Kyle farm which occupied most of the land required for the lake, which in turn w ...
and is home to a nine-hole
golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...
and a
freight Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including transp ...
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 ...
. It lies on the Mucheke River, with a civic centre at the town centre. Shagashe Game Park and an Italian memorial church built during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
are nearby. Masvingo also has an
airstrip An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...
. The national airline, Air Zimbabwe, has reintroduced a domestic flight connecting Masvingo to Harare in the north and Buffalo Range in the south starting on 5 December 2014. Masvingo is situated in a drought-prone area, with average rainfall of 600 mm/a. The raw water source for the city is
Lake Mutirikwi Lake Mutirikwi, formerly known as Lake Kyle or Kyle Dam, lies in south eastern Zimbabwe, south east of Masvingo. It is thought to have been named Lake Kyle, from the Kyle farm which occupied most of the land required for the lake, which in turn w ...
. Apart from providing water for the city, Lake Mutirikwi supports water supply schemes for several riparian farmers and large sugar cane irrigation schemes in the
Triangle, Zimbabwe Triangle is a small town in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe, and is located 125 km south-east from Masvingo, between Ngundu Growth Point and Chiredzi. The town is located in the district of Chiredzi, one of the seven in Masvingo Province. The ...
and
Hippo Valley Hippo Valley Estate () is a sugar estate found near the town of Chiredzi in Chiredzi District of southeastern Zimbabwe, on the Runde River near the border with Mozambique. Background It was established in 1956 as a citrus estate and soon it d ...
areas. The storage capacity of the lake, which was completed in 1960, is .


Industry and transport

The town used to have large cattle ranches but the country's Land Reform Programme is sometimes blamed for decimating that industry. Small scale farmers now make up the majority of suppliers of agricultural produce. Masvingo is mainly a residential city. The informal sector also dominates industry in town.


Tourism

There are a variety of tourist attractions within a radius of the town. Within of Masvingo are the
Great Zimbabwe National Monument Great Zimbabwe is a medieval city in the south-eastern hills of Zimbabwe near Lake Mutirikwi and the town of Masvingo. It is thought to have been the capital of a great kingdom during the country's Late Iron Age about which little is known. Con ...
, old ruins where the country derives its name and the Lake Mutirikwi Recreational Park and Kyle game resort with 12 different species, including the white rhino.


Film and theatre

Masvingo is known in the country for producing film and theatre productions that compete with those from Harare and Bulawayo. The city's film and theatre hub is located at the Charles Austin Theatre found at the city's Civic Centre gardens. It was run by the Masvingo Drama Circle from 1971 until its decline in 2015. Young artists took over the running of the facility under the name Masvingo Theatre and Arts Clubs and that resulted in film and theatre productions that have put Masvingo on the map in the arts industry. One notable play that came from Masvingo was a stage play by playwright Charles Munganasa titled Operation Restore Regasi which made international headlines and told the story of Robert Mugabe's fall from power. In 2017, a short film titled Seiko directed by Sydney Taivavashe won the outstanding short film production at the National Arts Merit Awards, Zimbabwe's top entertainment award ceremony making it the first film award to be won by a Masvingo artist. Sabhuku Vharazipi is a comedian from Masvingo who rose to fame in 2013 with his famous drama comedy titled Sabhuku Vharazipi which won the hearts of many locals. He is known for his signature rural folk dressing, a shiny bald head as well as an unmistakable Karanga tone which distinguishes his productions from the others.


Culture and recreation

The major soccer club in the town is
Masvingo United Masvingo United is a Zimbabwean football club. It is based in Masvingo. They joined the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League, (the first tier league) They were repeatedly relegated to Division One. The club used to be bankrolled by Tanda Tavaruva. ...
, whose home ground is Mucheke Stadium in the suburb of Mucheke. There are many amateur social football clubs in the city and they usually play their games at the various grounds around the city. Annually, a Miss Masvingo Province pageant is held. The city is host to the Charles Austin Theatre located at the civic center, a venue synonymous to many theatre enthusiasts in the country. The film and television industry is growing in the city with the up-and-coming generation at the forefront of the development. The
Southern Rocks The Southern Rocks is one of five Zimbabwean cricket franchises. They are a first-class cricket team, based in the Masvingo and Matabeleland South area. They play their home matches at Masvingo Sports Club in Masvingo. The team initially ceased t ...
, one of the five
first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...
teams in Zimbabwe until its disbandment after the 2013–14 season, played its home games at the
Masvingo Sports Club The Masvingo Sports Club is a cricket venue with first-class status in Masvingo. It was the home ground to one of Zimbabwe's provincial cricket sides, Southern Rocks, until the team's disbandment after the 2013–14 season. The ground has hosted ...
.
Africa Talent Publishers Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
is a publishing company based in Masvingo. The company was started in 2018 by two
Great Zimbabwe University Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) is an institution of higher learning in the city of Masvingo, Zimbabwe. It is currently situated on the Masvingo Teachers’ College campus seven kilometres east of Masvingo CBD. Currently the institution has a nu ...
lecturers, Munyaradzi Mawere and Tapuwa Rubaya, to promote indigenous stories and encourage the growth of a reading culture. It is the first such establishment to be founded in Masvingo.


International relations


Twin towns – Sister cities

Masvingo is twinned with: *
Kernen Kernen im Remstal is a municipality in the Rems-Murr district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was formed in January 1975 by the union of the towns of Stetten im Remstal and Rommelshausen. Its name was initially Stetten-Rommelshausen, but a com ...
, Germany. The twinning was signed by the town mayors in 1990. This led to the forming of the Kernen-Masvingo association by Kernens Mayor Mr. Haussmann, the school headmaster Franz Miller and its board manager D. Kaiser for 7 years. This organisation has led many projects in Masvingo, including school partnerships, such as that between Karl-Mauch-Schule in Kernen and Bondolfi primary school (25 km), building of a dining room at the old peoples' home in Mucheke, the Runyararo-Frieden day clinic and the construction of 4 buildings at Alpha cottages orphanage. Many other projects have been realised: cholera medicine, water treatment chemicals, many containers with helping goods, introduction of the medicine Viramune/Nevirapin in 2001 to all hospitals in Zimbabwe by D. Kaiser, given free of charge by the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. *
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...
, England.


Notable people

* Bruce Makovah, cricketer *
Nelson Chamisa Nelson Chamisa (born 2 February 1978) is a Zimbabwean politician and the current President of the Citizens Coalition For Change. He served as Member of the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe for Kuwadzana East, Harare. Chamisa was the MDC Alliance ...
, politician *
Brian Vitori Brian Vitalis Vitori (born 22 February 1990) is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He has played Test and ODI matches for Zimbabwe. Domestic career Vitori made his List A debut for Masvingo during the 2005–06 Faithwear Clothing Inter-Provincial Compet ...
, Cricketer *
Simon Muzenda Simon Vengai Muzenda (28 October 1922 – 20 September 2003) was a Zimbabwean politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister from 1980 to 1987 and as Vice-President of Zimbabwe from 1987 to 2003 under President Robert Mugabe. Early life and ed ...
, first Vice President of Zimbabwe *
Eddison Zvobgo Eddison Jonasi Mudadirwa Zvobgo (2 October 1935 – 22 August 2004) was a founder of Zimbabwe's ruling party, ZANU–PF, the Patriotic Front's spokesman at the Lancaster House in late 1979,
, politician *
Elias Mudzuri Elias Mudzuri is a Zimbabwean engineer and politician. Mudzuri was elected to a four-year term as Mayor of Harare, a city of 1.8 million, in March 2002. He was Acting president of Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai, Movement for Democr ...
, politician *
Paul Matavire Paul Matavire was a blind Zimbabwean musician and songwriter born in Maranda, Zimbabwe, 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. H ...
, musician *
Walter Mzembi Walter Mzembi (born 16 March 1964) is a Zimbabwean politician. He previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry. He was the Member of the House of Assembly for Masvingo South ( ZANU-PF). It was ...
, politician * Stanislaus Mudenge, politician *
Nox Guni Nokusingaperi Guni alias Nox, is a Zimbabwean musician, performing artist, songwriter and producer based in South Africa. He is renowned for the musical movement in Zimbabwe of the early 2000s dubbed Urban Grooves. Background Born Enock Guni on th ...
, Musician * Charles Manyuchi, boxer *
Ashley Burdett Ashley Burdett (born 14 November 1994) is a Zimbabwean woman cricketer and former captain of the Zimbabwe women's national cricket team. She captained the Zimbabwe team in the 2013 ICC Women's World Twenty20 Qualifier which was also the inaugu ...
, women's cricketer


See also

*
Chiredzi Chiredzi is a town in Masvingo province in south-east Zimbabwe. It is located near the Runde River, which has a tributary called the ' Chiredzi'. As the administrative center for Chiredzi District, it is where both the rural and district counci ...
*
Beitbridge Beitbridge 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. The border on the S ...


References


External links


Kernen-Masvingo Association
{{coord, 20, 4, 28, S, 30, 49, 58, E, display=title Populated places in Masvingo Province Provincial capitals in Zimbabwe Populated places established in 1890