Maranda, locally known as "No. 1", is a small business center on the northern edge of
Mwenezi (District)
Mwenezi, originally known as Nuanetsi, 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 Masvi ...
, Zimbabwe. It is the home town of Dr. Love (
Paul Matavire), the former popular musician and
Nikita Mangena,
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 Rhode ...
military leader during the
Second Chimurenga
The Rhodesian Bush War, also known as the Rhodesian Civil War, Second as well as the Zimbabwe War of Independence, was a civil conflict from July 1964 to December 1979 in the unrecognised country U.D.I. Republic of Rhodesia (later the tempora ...
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 material, consisting of permeability (Earth sciences), permeable or fractured rock, or of unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Aquifers vary greatly in their characteristics. The s ...
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, butterfly tree, turpentine tree, or balsam tree, is a tree in the legume family (Fabaceae), that grows in hot, dry, low-lying areas, in elevation, in parts of Southern Africa. The tree ...
trees. In the days of old, the villagers used to plant
millet
Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most millets belong to the tribe Paniceae.
Millets are important crops in the Semi-arid climate, ...
and
sorghum
''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a species in the Poaceae, grass genus ''Sorghum (genus), Sorghum'' cultivated for its grain. The grain i ...
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
Zimbabwean music is heavily reliant on the use of instruments such as the mbira, Ngoma drums and Hosho (instrument), hosho. Their music symbolizes much more than a simple rhythm, as the folk and pop style styled music was used as a symbol of ho ...
music from singers like
Alick Macheso
Alick Macheso (born 10 June 1968), is a Zimbabwean
Demographic features of the population of Zimbabwe include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of t ...
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 g ...
seat of
Mwenezi West.
See also
*
Mwenezi District
Mwenezi, originally known as Nuanetsi, 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 Masv ...
*
Manyuchi Dam
Manyuchi Dam forms a reservoir on the Mwenezi River in southern Zimbabwe. It is located in the Mwenezi District. The building of the dam was financed by the Mwenezi Development Corporation. The dam was built to irrigate oil palm estates.
History
...
*
Mushawe River
*
Mwenezi River
The Mwenezi River, originally known as the Nuanetsi 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 distr ...
References
{{Masvingo Province
Business Centers in Mwenezi (District)
Populated places in Masvingo Province
Mwenezi (District)