Shurugwi District is located 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 ...

Background

It is an important centre for

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 ...

, platinum and chrome mining, but it is perhaps best known as the home district of the former Rhodesian Prime Minister

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 ...

who owned a farm near Gwenoro Dam. Its principal town is also called

Shurugwi Shurugwi, formerly Selukwe, is a small town and administrative centre in Midlands Province, southern Zimbabwe, located about 350 km (220 miles) south of Harare, with a population of 22,900 according to the 2022 census. The town was establ ...

. It is located about 30 kilometres from the Midlands Provincial capital Gweru. Shurugwi District encompasses much of the rural areas of Nhema and some parts of Chivi. The district has seen a resurgence of mining activities after the discovery of platinum at Unki which lies a few kilometres just after the Wolfshall Pass (Boterekwa). This has seen the establishment of a large mining complex by Implats (Impala Platinum) and the refurbishing of houses which used to belong to the old Zimasco employees.

Demography

Shurugwi district is predominantly occupied by the Karanga ethnic people who form the majority of the population but there are other minorities like Ndebele speaking people in the Rockford small scale purchase farms and the Dlodlo area. Other ethnic people are the few remaining ex-employees of Zimasco who are predominantly of Malawian extraction.

Geography

The region is dominated by the Great Dyke which dissects it in the middle. Much of the other areas are made up of poor sandy soils which support subsistence agriculture. Tokwe river, locally known as Tugwi runs in the middle of Rockford Farmlands making the area potentially viable for agricultural projects in addition to mineral wealth.

Politics

Politically Shurugwi district saw a lot of fighting between Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army fighters and Rhodesian forces which led to significant deaths among the civilian population (1976–79). It has remained a predominantly ZANU-PF stronghold since independence.

Local Government

Town Council Shurugwi District is run by two local government arms, one for the rural district and the other for the urban district. For the rural district see

Tongogara RDC Tongogara Rural District Council is a local government organ administering Shurugwi District Rural District. There are two local government arms, Shurugwi Town Council created under the Zimbabwe Urban Councils Act, Chapter 29.15 administering Shu ...

Shurugwi Town Council created in terms of the Zimbabwe Urban Councils Act, Chapter 29.15 administers 13 urban wards of Shurugwi North Constituency. 2013 - 2018 Council Electoral Commission 2008 - 2013 Council Source: Kubatana AechiveThe Herald (z
candidates - 'Harmonised' elections 29 March 2008: Local Government - Midlands
kubatana.net, archive, Retrieved 2 March 2016

Health

Shurugwi has not escaped the scourge of the AIDS pandemic with many of its youthful people succumbing to the deadly virus.

Education

Shurugwi boasts several higher education institutions like Hanke Seventh Day Adventist Mission, Tongogara High School and Pakame Mission which date back many years. It has a significant number of highly educated professionals like lawyers, doctors, accountants, engineers and others. Rockford farmlands were created by the Rhodesian Government in 1934 and became home to some Black elite luminaries of that time the most notable being one of the early Christian faith Black Pastors Philemon Dzimiri (1898-1978).

References

{{reflist Districts of Midlands Province