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Tsholotsho is a
district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
in
Matabeleland North Matabeleland North is a Provinces of Zimbabwe, province in western Zimbabwe. With a population of 749,017 as of the Zimbabwean census, 2012, 2012 census, it is the country's second-least populous province, after Matabeleland South Province, Matab ...
province 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 ...
. Its administrative centre is at Tsholotsho business centre which is located about 98 km north-west of
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 ...
. Districts around
Tsholotsho Tsholotsho is a district in Matabeleland North province in Zimbabwe. Its administrative centre is at Tsholotsho business centre which is located about 98 km north-west of Bulawayo. Districts around Tsholotsho include Lupane, Hwange, Umguz ...
include Lupane,
Hwange Hwange (formerly Wankie) is a town in Zimbabwe, located in Hwange District, in Matabeleland North Province, in northwestern Zimbabwe, close to the international borders with Botswana and Zambia. It lies approximately , by road, southeast of Vi ...
,
Umguza Umguza is a district in the southern part of Matabeleland North province in Zimbabwe. It was formerly known as Esiphezini District. Geography Umguza District is bounded by Matopo and Umzingwane districts in the southeast, Bulilima and Tsho ...
, and Bulilima. The Manzamnyama River separates Tsholotsho from Bulilima District, whilst the
Gwayi River Gwayi River is a river in Zimbabwe. It is located in Matabeleland Matabeleland is a region located in southwestern Zimbabwe that is divided into three provinces: Matabeleland North, Bulawayo, and Matabeleland South. These provinces are in t ...
separates it from Umguza and Lupane districts, and the Hwange National Park separates it from Hwange District.


History

The area was a favourite of the elephant herds and had attracted early ivory hunters. The area was occupied by the
Bakalanga The Kalanga or Bakalanga are a southern Bantu ethnic group mainly inhabiting Matebeleland in Zimbabwe, northeastern Botswana and Limpopo Province in South Africa. They are historically related to the Nambya, Karanga, Bapedi and Venda. Curre ...
and San people before
Mzilikazi Mzilikazi Moselekatse, Khumalo ( 1790 – 9 September 1868) was a Southern African king who founded the Mthwakazi Kingdom now known as Matebeleland, in Zimbabwe. His name means "the great river of blood". He was born the son of Mashobane kaMange ...
and his Ndebele people arrived here. The name "Tsholotsho" (old spelling "Tjolotjo") being derived from the San word "Tsoro o tso" meaning the head of an elephant. Among the pre-Mzilikazi chiefs of the area were Tategulu, Makulukusa, and Madlangombe. It was part of the
Kingdom of Butua The Kingdom of Butua or Butwa (c. 1450–1683) was a pre-colonial African state located in what is now southwestern Zimbabwe. Butua was renowned as the source of gold for Arab and Portuguese traders. The region was first mentioned in Portuguese ...
and the king or ''mambo madlimbewu'' or ''dlimbewu'' was based at
Khami Khami (also written as ''Khame'', ''Kame'' or ''Kami'') is a ruined city located 22 kilometres west of Bulawayo, in Zimbabwe. It was once the capital of the Kingdom of Butwa of the Torwa dynasty. It is now a national monument, and became a UNES ...
at the time. Most villages in Tsholotsho have pure Bakalanga names. Later it became part of the
Rozvi Empire The Rozvi Empire (1684–1866) was a Shona state established on the Zimbabwean Plateau by Changamire Dombo. The term "Rozvi" refers to their legacy as a warrior nation, taken from the Shona term ''kurozva'', "to plunder". They became the mos ...
. When the Matabele arrived in 1838 they adopted the name "Tsholotsho". Mzilikazi loved the vast grazing land and left it under the watchful eyes of one of his trusted paramount chiefs, Maqhekeni Sithole, when he moved to Matopo to meet up with the rest of the Ndebele group. Chief Gampu Sithole, the great great grand son of Maqhekeni is one of the 5 raining chiefs today. The area has vast grazing lands there and people in Tsholotsho usually take their cattle for fattening in some of the popular grazing lands and they call it ukulagisa. The district centre of Tsholotsho is situated about 65 kilometres west of Nyamandlovu in the former Gwayi Tribal Trust land. It has been an administrative centre for the trust land for many years and fell under the jurisdiction of the Native Commissioner for Nyamandlovu who first assumed responsibility in 1909. Prior to this date the area fell under the jurisdiction of the Superintendent of Natives at Bulawayo. The District Service Centre is linked to Bulawayo and Lupane by tarred roads and Plumtree by a gravel road and other roads lead through very heavy Kalahari sands (itshebetshebe) into the Gwayi Tribal Trust areas and beyond into the forest reserves. The soils around the precincts of the village are regosols derived from Kalahari sands and shallow rocky basalt-derived pockets are to be found in the district. There is a belt of alluvium along the Gwayi river which has led numerous prospectors in the search of minerals and precious and semi-precious stones. An industrial school was founded at Mavela in 1921 by H. S. Keigwin, who also had a hand in establishing a similar institution at Domboshawa in Mashonaland the following year. The original course was designed by E. D. Alvord, who was then an agricultural missionary at
Mount Selinda Mount Selinda, at an altitude of 1,100 metres, is a village and mission station in the province of Manicaland in the eastern mountains of Zimbabwe. Located close to the Mozambique border, it lies in an area of outstanding natural beauty. Mount Sel ...
, where he had started instructing African students on similar lines in 1920. The school was moved to Essexvale (Esigodini) between the years 1941 and 1944 and renamed "Esikhoveni Agricultural Institute". It is fitting that Mr. Alvord's son D. L. Alvord should have been appointed the principal of the college. After the college was transferred to Essexvale, the vacated land was used as an experimental substation of the Matopos Research Station, where the work is primarily concerned with the breeding of indigenous Nkone or 'Nguni' cattle. These animals which originally came from Eswatini and Zululand were brought by the Matabele during their northward migrations in the first half of the 19th century. These cattle are believed to have originated from a shorthorn-sanga cross. The name sanga was applied to the giant horned cattle of Abyssinia. The head and horns form the principal conformational features by which the breed is identified; their most characteristic feature when mature, being the lyre-shape.


Geography


Geology

Tsholotsho is located in an area which once used to be a waterlogged basin over 250 million years ago. This basin can be traced as far north as Hwange and is responsible for the formation of the coal deposits in Hwange. Tsholotsho has two principal rivers which are Manzamnyama and Gwayi. The rivers are relatively wide being over 100m in places but usually only flow during the rains. Tsholotsho is composed of mainly three types of soils. The Kalahari Sands cover over 70% of the Tsholotsho land area. These are located on the North Western areas of Tsholotsho from Korodziba through Dlamini right up to Jimila. The Kalahari Sands can also be found in the North-Central areas like Sipepa and Kapani. The rich black Clay soils are found in a 4 km wide belt stretching about 2 km either side of Gwayi River in what can be called "The Gwayi River flood plain". This area is prone to flooding as in the case of Mahlaba and waterlogging as in the case of Shakiwa (Matemaule). The red clay soils can be found in the south-eastern areas of Tsholotsho right from Somgqibe through Mapulubusi, Madona and right up to Ngqoya.


Flora and fauna

Tsholotsho is home to hardwoods such as the teak, these being found in the Kalahari sands. The clays are home to the thorn acacia and extensively covered grassland areas. Being located next to the massive Hwange National Park, Tsholotsho is home to basically all the animal species found in Zimbabwe, these being the elephants, buffaloes, lions, kudus and hundreds of other species.


Population

Tsholotsho is home to three ethnic groups, these being the
Ndebele Ndebele may refer to: *Southern Ndebele people, located in South Africa *Northern Ndebele people, located in Zimbabwe and Botswana Languages *Southern Ndebele language, the language of the South Ndebele *Northern Ndebele language, the language o ...
,
Kalanga Kalanga may refer to: * BaKalanga people * Kalanga language Kalanga, or ''TjiKalanga'' (in Zimbabwe), is a Bantu language spoken by the Kalanga people in Botswana and Zimbabwe. It has an extensive phoneme inventory, which includes palatalise ...
(along the
Manzamnyama The Nata River or Manzamnyama River is a natural watercourse in Southern Africa. It is an ephemeral river flowing in Zimbabwe and Botswana. It has a length of 330 km from its source to mouth, 210 km in Zimbabwe and 120 km in Botswa ...
river) and the San (closer to the
Hwange Hwange (formerly Wankie) is a town in Zimbabwe, located in Hwange District, in Matabeleland North Province, in northwestern Zimbabwe, close to the international borders with Botswana and Zambia. It lies approximately , by road, southeast of Vi ...
national park.The principal language is
Ndebele Ndebele may refer to: *Southern Ndebele people, located in South Africa *Northern Ndebele people, located in Zimbabwe and Botswana Languages *Southern Ndebele language, the language of the South Ndebele *Northern Ndebele language, the language o ...
which is spoken and understood by practically everyone in the district.


Economy

The main economic activity in Tsholotsho is farming. The soils are bad for cultivation except the black clay soils along Gwayi River. The Kalahari sands are surprisingly good for cattle rearing though they need massive investment in terms of reliable water provision and disease prevention. Alternatives to farming and cattle raising are few, often the gold mines and farms of South Africa offer the only solution, hence the massive migration to South Africa from this district. The district has a food poverty prevalence of 45%. An industrial school was founded here in 1921 but was relocated to
Esigodini Esigodini, previously known as Essexvale, is a town in the Matabeleland South Province of Zimbabwe. It is the administrative centre for Umzingwane District, one of the seven administrative districts in Matabeleland South. It was originally an e ...
in 1941 and the old buildings taken over by the Matopos Research Station where
cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...
breeding is researched. Beginning in the 2010s, efforts have been make to exploit the native wildlife via ecotourism.


Transport and communication

Tsholotsho District has a relatively expensive road network system. Most of the roads are however unusable due to the extensive Kalahari sands covering the district. The road 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 ...
to Tsholotsho District's main business centre is a tarred
strip road A strip road is a dirt road with two narrow, parallel strips of asphalt, one for each wheel. Roads of this kind are found in parts of southern Africa, particularly Zimbabwe. When two cars on a strip road approach each other from opposite direction ...
for 103 km of its 117 km
length Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Interna ...
. Upon reaching the Business Centre it branches into three main branches which further subdivide into smaller roads. Of note is the main road from the Business Centre to the
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 ...
-
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 animal ...
highway which is now a tarred double lane road. The road passes through Madona ,Dumbo,Mapulubusi,Nembe, Jimila, Tshino, Mcetshwa, Sipepa Business Centre, Gwayi Siding all the way to the
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 ...
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 animal ...
highway. This road branches at Nembe; with a dirt road branching to the northwest later joining the main road at Sipepa business centre. The distance from Tsholotsho Business Centre to Sipepa Business centre is 113 km by this road as compared to 72 km when using the main road. Another road leaves the Tsholotsho Business Centre in a westerly direction later branching about four times. The first branch is a road to Plumtree passing through Ehampeni, Mhlahlo, Emlotheni, Dinyane, Mbamba, Bubude, Matshangane and other villages. Another branch heads as far as Phelandaba passing through Magotsha Somgqibe Mazibisa Dlamini Mswigana Somlotha and other notable villages. Yet another branch goes beyond Butabubili, passing through Mgodi Masili and having a turnoff to the Seventh-day-Adventist-run Nemani Mission. Most of these roads link in places forming a surprisingly sophisticated web for a district generally regarded as poor.


Government and politics

Tsholotsho is a well known "battle ground" of Zimbabwean politics with the latest event being the so-called Tsholotsho Declaration of 2005 involving leading ZANU-PF members and
Jonathan Moyo Jonathan Nathaniel Mlevu Moyo (born 12 January 1957) is a Zimbabwean politician who served in the government of Zimbabwe as Minister of Higher Education from 2015 to 2017. He was previously Minister of Information and Publicity from 2000 to 2005 ...
, in which they were accused of mooting a boardroom removal of President Mugabe. It was the location of a mass killing in 1983, as part of
Robert Mugabe Robert Gabriel Mugabe (; ; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of the ...
's "
Gukurahundi The ''Gukurahundi'' was a genocide in Zimbabwe which arose in 1982 until the Unity Accord in 1987. It derives from a Shona language term which loosely translates to "the early rain which washes away the chaff before the spring rains". During ...
". Moyo, who twice served as lnformation Minister in the ZANU-PF government, was elected as an Independent MP for Tsholotsho in 2005. The first MP of the area between 1980 and 1985 was
John Nkomo John Landa Nkomo (born 22 August, 1934 – died 17 January, 2013), was a Zimbabwean politician who served as Vice-President of Zimbabwe from 2009 to 2013. After serving for years as a minister in the government of Zimbabwe, he was the Speaker of ...
who represented one part of the district that was combined with Bulawayo's Luveve Constituency while David Kwidini represented another part that was combined with the neighbouring Wankie District. Between 1985 and 1990 the district was represented by Amos Mkwananzi. Cain Mathema was the last Zanu PF MP before the advent of the MDC from 1990 to 2000. Cain Mathema lost the seat to MDC's Mtoliki Sibanda in 2000. The district was then divided into two constituencies of Tsholotsho South and North with Moyo (independent) narrowly retaining the latter while Maxwell Dube of the MDC winning the former in the 2008 harmonised elections. In 2013 Rosemary Sipepa Nkomo of MDC beat Moyo to become the new MP for Tsholotsho North only to lose it two years later when the MDC suffered a split. Tsholotsho South went Madodana Sibanda of Zanu PF while Moyo bounced back as Tsholotsho North MP (this time as a Zanu PF candidate) in a by-election boycotted by all major parties in 2015.


Notable people

*
NoViolet Bulawayo NoViolet Bulawayo is the pen name of Elizabeth Zandile Tshele (born 12 October 1981), a Zimbabwean author. In 2012, the National Book Foundation named her a "5 under 35" honoree. She was named one of the Top 100 most influential Africans by ''New ...
– award-winning writer, author of
We Need New Names ''We Need New Names'' is the 2013 debut novel of expatriate Zimbabwean writer NoViolet Bulawayo. A coming-of-age story, ''We Need New Names'' tells of the life of a young girl named Darling, first as a 10-year-old in Zimbabwe, navigating a world o ...
* Joel Luphahla – former Zimbabwe international player, who played for many top football teams such as Madona Rollers fc
Highlanders FC Highlanders FC is a Zimbabwean football club based in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, formed in 1926 that plays in the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League. It is also known colloquially as iBosso. Founded in 1926 as Lions Football Club, composed mainly of boys ...
,
Supersport United SuperSport United Football Club (often known as SuperSport) is a South African professional football club based in Atteridgeville in Pretoria in the Gauteng province. The team currently plays in the Dstv Premiership. United is known as ''Matsats ...
,
Platinum Stars Platinum Stars was a South African football club based in Phokeng near Rustenburg, North West Province that played in the Premier Soccer League. The club was nicknamed ''Dikwena'', the Tswana name for ''Crocodiles''. The team's best finish in ...
, Tsholotsho FC * Mkhululi Chimoio – a prominent investigative journalist from Mvundlana Line who was charged with Treason, Undermining Authority of the Presidency, Sabotage and Subversion in absentia by the President Robert Mugabe regime in 2014 after being framed by the State as “Baba Jukwa” – a faceless social media whistle blower that exposed Mugabe's evil deeds *
Cain Mathema Cain Ginyilitshe Ndabazekhaya Mathema (born 25 January 1947) is a Zimbabwean politician and writer. He has held various cabinet roles in the Zimbabwean government. He is a member of Zanu-PF. He was born in Sipepa, Tsholotsho District. Politica ...
– former MP for Tsholotsho and current minister of home affairs and cultural heritage *
Jonathan Moyo Jonathan Nathaniel Mlevu Moyo (born 12 January 1957) is a Zimbabwean politician who served in the government of Zimbabwe as Minister of Higher Education from 2015 to 2017. He was previously Minister of Information and Publicity from 2000 to 2005 ...
– former MP and minister of information and education *
Joshua Nkomo Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo (19 June 1917 – 1 July 1999) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and Matabeleland politician who served as Vice-President of Zimbabwe from 1990 until his death in 1999. He founded and led the Zimbabwe African People's ...
– late former vice president (1990–1999) of Zimbabwe and
ZAPU The Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) is a Zimbabwean political party. It is a militant organization and political party that campaigned for majority rule in Rhodesia, from its founding in 1961 until 1980. In 1987, it merged with the Zimba ...
* Zinjaziyamluma – the first singer of umaskandi ft south African singers such as Bonakele and many more


References

{{Geography of Zimbabwe Districts of Matabeleland North Province