Shurugwi, formerly Selukwe, is a small town and administrative centre in
Midlands Province
Midlands is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of and a population of 1,614,941 (2012). It is home to various peoples. Located at a central point in the country, it contains speakers of Shona, Ndebele, Tswana, Sotho and Chewa, as well as of ...
, southern
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 about 350 km (220 miles) 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 ...
, with a population of 22,900 according to the 2022 census.
The town was established in 1899 on the Selukwe Goldfield, which itself was discovered in the early 1890s not long after the annexation of
Rhodesia
Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...
by the
Pioneer Column
The Pioneer Column was a force raised by Cecil Rhodes and his British South Africa Company in 1890 and used in his efforts to annex the territory of Mashonaland, later part of Zimbabwe (once Southern Rhodesia).
Background
Rhodes was anxious t ...
.
The town lies in well wooded, hilly and picturesque country at an altitude of about 1,440 metres (4700') and is well watered having a typical annual rainfall of 89 cm (3'). On a clear day it is quite possible to see the hills around Masvingo and Great Zimbabwe, the latter being over 145 km (90 miles) away.
History
Selukwe was established in 1899 by 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 ...
and Willoughby's Consolidated Company. Its name was derived from a nearby bare oval granite hill that resembled the shape of a pigpen (''selukwe'') of the local Karanga people.
The district remains an important centre for gold, chrome and platinum mining, but is perhaps best known as the home district of
Ian Douglas Smith
Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 1919 – 20 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to ...
, a former
Prime Minister of Rhodesia
The prime minister of Rhodesia (Southern Rhodesia before 1964) was the head of government of Rhodesia. Rhodesia, which had become a self-governing colony of the United Kingdom in 1923, unilaterally declared independence on 11 November 1965, ...
, who owned the 4,000 acre Gwenoro Farm near
Gwenoro Dam.
Industry and agriculture
The town is the terminus of a branch rail line from
Gweru
Gweru is a city in central Zimbabwe. Near the geographical centre of the country. It is on the centre of Midlands Province. Originally an area known to the Northern Ndebele people, Ndebele as "The Steep Place" because of the Gweru River's high ...
(formerly Gwelo), 32 km (21 miles) to the north. Shurugwi is one of
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 ...
's largest producers of chrome; other metals also are mined there. Its healthful climate and scenic location attract tourists and retired people. The largest employers are
ZIMASCO,
Unki mine
The Unki mine is an underground mine located in the central part of Zimbabwe in Shurugwi, Midlands Province. Unki represents one of the largest platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense ...
, a subsidiary of
Anglo-American
Anglo-Americans are people who are English-speaking inhabitants of Anglo-America. It typically refers to the nations and ethnic groups in the Americas that speak English as a native language, making up the majority of people in the world who spe ...
through its platinum wing,
Angloplats, the government through education, agriculture and health.
Most farmers are
peasant farmers
A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasants ...
who grow maize and other high grain producing crops. Animal husbandry is also practised to some extent.
Natural resources
The town is located on a mineral-rich Archaean greenstone belt, known in this area as the Selukwe Schist Belt,
[Vermaak CF(1986) Summary Aspects of the Economics of Chromium. in: Anhaeusser CR & S Maske, Eds. Mineral Deposits of Southern Africa II. Geol. Soc. S. Afr. p1170] making it one of the most mineral-rich towns in the country.
Chromite
Chromite is a crystalline mineral composed primarily of iron(II) oxide and chromium(III) oxide compounds. It can be represented by the chemical formula of FeCr2O4. It is an oxide mineral belonging to the spinel group. The element magnesium can s ...
, gold and nickel are all mined around Shurugwi. The town is also located on one of the most beautiful places 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 ...
,
Wolfshall Pass, commonly known as
Boterekwa due to the winding of the road as it negotiates its way up and between mountains. This is very similar to the pass close to
Louis Trichardt Louis may refer to:
* Louis (coin)
* Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name
* Louis (surname)
* Louis (singer), Serbian singer
* HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy
See also
Derived or associated terms
* Lewis ( ...
in South Africa since both were constructed by an Italian firm, the difference only being that there are tunnels in
Louis Trichardt Louis may refer to:
* Louis (coin)
* Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name
* Louis (surname)
* Louis (singer), Serbian singer
* HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy
See also
Derived or associated terms
* Lewis ( ...
. It has been a scene of many road accidents with most of them fatal. The most notable of these accidents occurred in 1966 when a bus load of students from Chrome Secondary School overturned. Only three teachers survived the crash.
Facilities
Most of the infrastructure in Shurugwi is very old. There was only one hotel in the town center – the Grand Hotel, which used to operate as a bar before it was turned into a shop for building materials and motor spare parts. Slowly the town of Shurugwi is being transformed to suit all kinds of business activities unlike what it used to be only gold trade center. The population have doubled as compared to the last decade. Apart from mining, it is now growing into an agriculture sector.
Education
There are a number of schools in Shurugwi including Parkinson High, Chrome High, Shurugwi 2, Batanai High School, Charles Wraith Primary, Railway Block Primary School, Selukwe Primary, Ironsides Primary etc. Most of the better secondary schools are found in Shurugwi rural area, such as
Pakame Mission, one of the oldest schools in the country, a
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
run mission school which is about 40 km (25 miles) by road on the South towards Zvishavane, close to
Guruguru Mountain, a
volcanic
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates a ...
solid rock mountain in
Shurugwi Rural Areas;
Tongogara High School, a government operated boarding school 40 km (25 miles) to the East and
Hanke Adventist High School
Hanke Adventist High School is a high school in Shurugwi, 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 ...
, an
SDA
SDA or sda may refer to:
Educational institutions
* San Dieguito Academy, Encinitas, California, US
* SDA Bocconi School of Management, in Milan, Italy
Science and technology Biology
* Specific dynamic action, the thermic effect of food
* Str ...
run school 10 km (6 miles) on the North of Tongogara. Next to Hanke there is a school called Svika High named after a nearby Svika mountain which are the rural areas of Francis Nhema the Zanu Pf Member of Parliament for Shurugwi North. All these schools offer up to
Advanced Level ("A-Level") education.
There are also some post-independence-era schools with basically poor standards of education with pass rates of below 5% on
Ordinary Level
The O-Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education. It was introduced in place of the School Certificate in 1951 as part of an educational reform alongside the more in-depth ...
(
O-levels
The O-Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education. It was introduced in place of the School Certificate in 1951 as part of an educational reform alongside the more in-depth ...
) which is due to a lack of quality teachers who normally do not want to teach in rural areas.
Rusununguko Secondary School which is along the Chivi/
Beit Bridge
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 t ...
road is one of the few schools to attain A-level status in its class.
Shurugwi also has rural primary schools such as
Vungwi Primary School,
Matamba Primary School
The Kingdom of Matamba (1631–1744) was an African state located in what is now the Baixa de Cassange region of Malanje Province of modern-day Angola. It was a powerful kingdom that long resisted Portuguese colonisation attempts and was only in ...
, Tumba Primary Schools, Dhlemiti Primary school, Chironde Primary school, Zvizhazha Primary School, Mavedzenge Primary School, Musavezi Primary School and Nhema Primary School. Most of the graduates leave Shurugwi after primary/secondary education to pursue further education, usually A levels, in other towns as far as Harare. A relative minority ultimately end up studying at the
University of Zimbabwe
The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) is a public university in Harare, Zimbabwe. It opened in 1952 as the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and was initially affiliated with the University of London. It was later renamed the University o ...
and other post independent universities in Zimbabwe or even at universities abroad. Shurugwi has produced a considerable number of professionals, notably in the fields of
Chartered Accountants, lawyers, engineers, and medical doctors. There is a private college Institute of Business Technology popularly known as IBT College, founded by Dr Godfrey Gandawa, that offers academic school forms 1 to 6, and professional and computing courses at national foundation certificate, national certificate and national diploma levels with HEXCO examination status.
Mhangami Primary School is an Anglican church run school. Originally called St Pius, it was renamed Mhangami in honour of the local Chief Mhangami. The school was established in 1943 and offers up to grade 7.
Shurugwi has quite a number of notable schools that drive the academic excellence of the town which are notably:
Notable residents
*
Ian Smith
Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 1919 – 20 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to ...
, Rhodesian Prime Minister and Zimbabwean Member of Parliament
References
{{authority control
Populated places in Midlands Province
Populated places established in 1899