Shurugwi Rural Areas
Encyclopedia
Shurugwi Rural Areas also known as Shurugwi District
is an area around Shurugwi
, Zimbabwe
, mainly to the east, beginning 20 km from the town centre. The area between the town and the rural areas was mainly occupied by white commercial farmers. It is thought that at one time, these farms were owned by three families who were all related. The total area of these farms is approximately 60 km x 40 km similar to an area that was occupied by more than 4000 African families. Most of the black families are subsistence farmers. Maize
is generally grown by the majority.
, were built as far back as 1905. The list includes: Banga,Bokai, Chekenyu, Chikato, Dombwe, Hanke, Makonde,Makotore, Matamba, Mavedzenge (St Peter), Mhangami (St Pius), Ndaora (St Paul), Nhema (St Francis), Pakame,Rusike Shamba, Tumba, Vungwi,Gundura, Banga, Wida,Sibolise and Zvishazha.
which are all in rural areas:
Hanke Adventist High School, a Seventh-day Adventist
school which traditionally offered up to 0-Levels and was called Hanke Adventist Secondary School. It was recently upgraded to offer all levels through A-Levels and changed its name to reflect that. As it is a mission school, both the primary school and the high school are on the same campus which can cause confusion between them.
Tongogara High School
, only 10 km from Hanke, is a government-run high school. The boarding facilities are generally reserved for A-Levels students while the Form 1s to Form 4s are general day-schoolers (although a limited number of lower grade students have been admitted into boarding since 1990). Tongogara was founded as a secondary school in the early 1980s and A-Level was only introduced in 1989. It is the biggest high school in Shurugwi
by student population.
Pakame Mission
, about 40km to the southwest, is a Methodist-run mission. Like Hanke, it traditionally offered classes up to form 4 (O-Levels), but was recently upgraded to offer up to A-Levels. Pakame is considered the best of the three in terms of O-Level pass rate.Rusununguko is now a high school offering A levels as well.
, 2 km southwest of Vungwi Primary School
and 7 km northeast of Rusununguko Secondary School
.
and 20 km northeast of Hanke Adventist Secondary School; and Tongogara Clinic, situated at Tongogara Shopping Centre. There is also Gundura clinic, about 5 km from Pakame Mission
.There is also Rusike clinic about 15 km south of Cha Cha Cha.
Zvamavande Hospital is the referral centre for all other clinics in the region which often transfers patients to Shurugwi Hospital in Shurugwi
.
People still walk long distances to health centres. Serious cases are sometimes transported up to 10 km by ox-drawn carts. This happens especially to those that are from areas that are not easily accessed by cars such as resettlement areas commonly known as "minda murefu" (literally, "long fields").
and AIDS
, partly because of unawareness and poverty. Sex is considered the only form of entertainment in rural areas, given that many families do not have TVs and there are no cinemas to watch movies. Due to an unexpected number of deaths between the middle 90s and the early 2000s, people have been frightened by the consequences of AIDS
and the HIV rate in the area has recently declined.
. The people who claimed these farms (mostly black families without land) have struggled to survive due to lack of knowledge regarding good agricultural methods. Most of the beneficiaries are not originally from Shurugwi.
, first Shurugwi MP at independence and now Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, Dr Lucia Matibenga, and Emmerson Mnangagwa, by virtue of marriage to Tongogara's sister and coming from Chirumhanzu, and Dr Frank Mbengo.
Frank Mbengo is an academic from Mbengo Village, situated 1 km southwest of Vungwi Primary School
, 1 km northwest of Zvamabande Hospital, and 1 km from Cha Cha Cha Township
. He ran several times as an independent but was not elected. Some reports say he was offered a cabinet post by Mugabe
but declined.
Due to patronage, MPs have since independence come from the north (15 km north of Cha Cha Cha Township), an area under the guardianship of Chief Nhema, as opposed to the south which is under Chief Ndanga. David Ruzive, a former MP who has been heavily criticized, was also from Nhema. This has caused more development in the Nhema area than in the Ndanga Area.
Cha Cha Cha Township
is the best-located township in Shurugwi
Rural because it is where major roads meet. Unfortunately it has been neglected and the growth point was placed at Tongogara Township.
Shurugwi District
Shurugwi District is located in Midlands Province, southern Zimbabwe. It is an important centre for gold and chrome mining, but it is perhaps best known as the home district of the former Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Douglas Smith who owned a farm near Gwenoro Dam...
is an area around Shurugwi
Shurugwi
Shurugwi, formerly Selukwe, a town and administrative centre in Midlands Province, southern Zimbabwe, located about 350 km south of Harare; population 16,138...
, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
, mainly to the east, beginning 20 km from the town centre. The area between the town and the rural areas was mainly occupied by white commercial farmers. It is thought that at one time, these farms were owned by three families who were all related. The total area of these farms is approximately 60 km x 40 km similar to an area that was occupied by more than 4000 African families. Most of the black families are subsistence farmers. Maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
is generally grown by the majority.
Primary Schools
There are a number of primary schools in Shurugwi Rural. Most of them, like Vungwi Primary SchoolVungwi Primary School
Vungwi Primary School, can also be written as Vhungwi and also pronounced as Vhumbwi is a primary school in Shurugwi, Zimbabwe. The school was built in 1905 making it one of the oldest schools in Zimbabwe...
, were built as far back as 1905. The list includes: Banga,Bokai, Chekenyu, Chikato, Dombwe, Hanke, Makonde,Makotore, Matamba, Mavedzenge (St Peter), Mhangami (St Pius), Ndaora (St Paul), Nhema (St Francis), Pakame,Rusike Shamba, Tumba, Vungwi,Gundura, Banga, Wida,Sibolise and Zvishazha.
Secondary Schools
There are a number of secondary schools in Shurugwi Rural, notably Sibolise Secondary School,Mupangai Secondary School, Chivakanenyanga Secondary School, Batanai Secondary School, Rusungunuko Secondary School , Dombotombo Secondary School, Chironde-Kwagweya Secondary School, and Bokai Secondary School, among others. The academic results from year to year are generally poor and below par which is generally blamed on the teachers.High Schools
There are only 3 boarding schools in ShurugwiShurugwi
Shurugwi, formerly Selukwe, a town and administrative centre in Midlands Province, southern Zimbabwe, located about 350 km south of Harare; population 16,138...
which are all in rural areas:
Hanke Adventist High School, a Seventh-day Adventist
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
school which traditionally offered up to 0-Levels and was called Hanke Adventist Secondary School. It was recently upgraded to offer all levels through A-Levels and changed its name to reflect that. As it is a mission school, both the primary school and the high school are on the same campus which can cause confusion between them.
Tongogara High School
Tongogara High School
Tongogara High School is a government-run high school in the rural areas of Shurugwi, Zimbabwe which offers classes up to A-level.As one of the best post-independence secondary schools to be built in Zimbabwe, it was named after an eminent son of the soil and freedom fighter, Josiah Tongogara, as...
, only 10 km from Hanke, is a government-run high school. The boarding facilities are generally reserved for A-Levels students while the Form 1s to Form 4s are general day-schoolers (although a limited number of lower grade students have been admitted into boarding since 1990). Tongogara was founded as a secondary school in the early 1980s and A-Level was only introduced in 1989. It is the biggest high school in Shurugwi
Shurugwi
Shurugwi, formerly Selukwe, a town and administrative centre in Midlands Province, southern Zimbabwe, located about 350 km south of Harare; population 16,138...
by student population.
Pakame Mission
Pakame Mission
Pakame Mission is a Methodist run boarding school in Shurugwi, Zimbabwe which offers classes up to A-level. The mission is made up of a primary school and a high school....
, about 40km to the southwest, is a Methodist-run mission. Like Hanke, it traditionally offered classes up to form 4 (O-Levels), but was recently upgraded to offer up to A-Levels. Pakame is considered the best of the three in terms of O-Level pass rate.Rusununguko is now a high school offering A levels as well.
Hospitals
Zvamavande Rural Hospital is the only hospital in Shurugwi Rural. It is located 2 km southeast of Cha Cha Cha TownshipCha Cha Cha Township
Cha Cha Cha Township or simply known as Cha Cha Cha is a rural shopping centre in Shurugwi Rural Areas, 24 km South East of Shurugwi along the Beit Bridge road and from Gweru...
, 2 km southwest of Vungwi Primary School
Vungwi Primary School
Vungwi Primary School, can also be written as Vhungwi and also pronounced as Vhumbwi is a primary school in Shurugwi, Zimbabwe. The school was built in 1905 making it one of the oldest schools in Zimbabwe...
and 7 km northeast of Rusununguko Secondary School
Rusununguko Secondary School
Rusununguko Secondary School is situated under Munyanyi village in ward 10 under Chief Ndanga in Shurugwi district. The school was established in 1981 after the end of the liberation struggle and the gain of independence of Zimbabwe. It attained its name 'Rusununguko' which is a Shona word to mean...
.
Clinics
There are a number of rural clinics in Shurugwi Rural. Notable clinics include Hanke Clinic, on the same campus as Hanke Mission; Saint Francis Clinic, near the residence of Chief Nhema and facilitated by his politician son, Francis Nhema, about 40 km northeast of Cha Cha Cha TownshipCha Cha Cha Township
Cha Cha Cha Township or simply known as Cha Cha Cha is a rural shopping centre in Shurugwi Rural Areas, 24 km South East of Shurugwi along the Beit Bridge road and from Gweru...
and 20 km northeast of Hanke Adventist Secondary School; and Tongogara Clinic, situated at Tongogara Shopping Centre. There is also Gundura clinic, about 5 km from Pakame Mission
Pakame Mission
Pakame Mission is a Methodist run boarding school in Shurugwi, Zimbabwe which offers classes up to A-level. The mission is made up of a primary school and a high school....
.There is also Rusike clinic about 15 km south of Cha Cha Cha.
Zvamavande Hospital is the referral centre for all other clinics in the region which often transfers patients to Shurugwi Hospital in Shurugwi
Shurugwi
Shurugwi, formerly Selukwe, a town and administrative centre in Midlands Province, southern Zimbabwe, located about 350 km south of Harare; population 16,138...
.
People still walk long distances to health centres. Serious cases are sometimes transported up to 10 km by ox-drawn carts. This happens especially to those that are from areas that are not easily accessed by cars such as resettlement areas commonly known as "minda murefu" (literally, "long fields").
HIV & AIDS
Like other rural areas, Shurugwi Rural Areas has suffered the wrath of HIVHIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
and AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, partly because of unawareness and poverty. Sex is considered the only form of entertainment in rural areas, given that many families do not have TVs and there are no cinemas to watch movies. Due to an unexpected number of deaths between the middle 90s and the early 2000s, people have been frightened by the consequences of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
and the HIV rate in the area has recently declined.
Resettlement areas
There has been considerable resettlement, since 80% of the area around Shurugwi was owned by commercial farmers (generally Caucasians) who lost their farms because of the domestic land policy of President MugabeMugabe
Mugabe can refer to:*Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe.*Sally Mugabe, first wife of Robert Mugabe.*Grace Mugabe, second wife of Robert Mugabe.*Omugabe , a title given to kings of Ankole of Uganda.*Mugabe Were, a Kenyan politician....
. The people who claimed these farms (mostly black families without land) have struggled to survive due to lack of knowledge regarding good agricultural methods. Most of the beneficiaries are not originally from Shurugwi.
Politics
Home to the late freedom fighter and Commander in Chief of Zanla forces, Josiah Magama Tongogara, other notable politicians include late Midland governor and resident minister Herbert S.M Mahlaba, Francis Nhema, the Minister of Tourism in the Mugabe cabinet and an MP of ShurugwiShurugwi
Shurugwi, formerly Selukwe, a town and administrative centre in Midlands Province, southern Zimbabwe, located about 350 km south of Harare; population 16,138...
, first Shurugwi MP at independence and now Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, Dr Lucia Matibenga, and Emmerson Mnangagwa, by virtue of marriage to Tongogara's sister and coming from Chirumhanzu, and Dr Frank Mbengo.
Frank Mbengo is an academic from Mbengo Village, situated 1 km southwest of Vungwi Primary School
Vungwi Primary School
Vungwi Primary School, can also be written as Vhungwi and also pronounced as Vhumbwi is a primary school in Shurugwi, Zimbabwe. The school was built in 1905 making it one of the oldest schools in Zimbabwe...
, 1 km northwest of Zvamabande Hospital, and 1 km from Cha Cha Cha Township
Cha Cha Cha Township
Cha Cha Cha Township or simply known as Cha Cha Cha is a rural shopping centre in Shurugwi Rural Areas, 24 km South East of Shurugwi along the Beit Bridge road and from Gweru...
. He ran several times as an independent but was not elected. Some reports say he was offered a cabinet post by Mugabe
Mugabe
Mugabe can refer to:*Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe.*Sally Mugabe, first wife of Robert Mugabe.*Grace Mugabe, second wife of Robert Mugabe.*Omugabe , a title given to kings of Ankole of Uganda.*Mugabe Were, a Kenyan politician....
but declined.
Due to patronage, MPs have since independence come from the north (15 km north of Cha Cha Cha Township), an area under the guardianship of Chief Nhema, as opposed to the south which is under Chief Ndanga. David Ruzive, a former MP who has been heavily criticized, was also from Nhema. This has caused more development in the Nhema area than in the Ndanga Area.
Cha Cha Cha Township
Cha Cha Cha Township
Cha Cha Cha Township or simply known as Cha Cha Cha is a rural shopping centre in Shurugwi Rural Areas, 24 km South East of Shurugwi along the Beit Bridge road and from Gweru...
is the best-located township in Shurugwi
Shurugwi
Shurugwi, formerly Selukwe, a town and administrative centre in Midlands Province, southern Zimbabwe, located about 350 km south of Harare; population 16,138...
Rural because it is where major roads meet. Unfortunately it has been neglected and the growth point was placed at Tongogara Township.