Zvishavane District
Zvishavane District is one of the eight districts in Midlands Province of Zimbabwe.
It has Mberengwa District to the south and Shurugwi District to the north.
Its capital is Zvishavane town.
Background
Zvishavane derives its name from its sister town Mashava. Mashava is a ChiShona word describing the hills in that place as reddish. The name Mashava formerly Mashaba origins is stated in the Rhodesian Lore and Legend: SOUTHERN RHODESIA PLACE NAMES published by The Chief Information Officer, Information Services Branch. Division of Native Affairs, Salisbury September, 1960[1]
Shona word | English meaning | Explanation |
---|---|---|
Shava | Reddish | Shava is the Shona name of an Eland derived from the colour of the animal. |
Chishava | Something reddish | it is a description of a single thing reddish in colour. |
Mashava | Reddish | it describes particular reddish things. Here it describes reddish hills. |
Zvishava | reddish things | it describes many things reddish in colour. |
Zvishavane | semi reddish | it describes things not as reddish as the earlier. Here it describes the many surrounding low hills that are characterised by lighter red soil than those hills in Mashava |
Some claim that the name Shabanie derives from the isiNdebele Shavani which means "finger millet", or "trading together.[2] This is very unlikely for the matter that the English pronounced it as Shabanie.
- "va" in ChiShona is pronounced as the isiNdebele "ba".
- The word baba in isiNdebele rhymes with Vava in ChiShona and they are pronounced the same.
However the isiNdebele syllable va rhymes with vha in ChiShona.
- If Shavani was a isiNdebele word the ChiShona would have pronounced it as Shavhani. The English men would pronounce it as Sharvanie not Shabanie.
- If Shavani was a ChiShona word the isiNdebele would pronounce it Shabani, and so the English would pronounce it as Shabanie.
For this fact Shabanie derives from the ChiShona word Shavane or Shavani.
All the same finger millet colour is off-reddish, maybe tan in colour. That's Zviyo zvishavani or zvipfunde zvishavani (tan corn or tan millet) in ChiShona. Either way, the name derives from tan hills or tan coloured millet.
Economy
Zvishavane District is home of Zvishavane Town which developed from an abestos mine compound into a town.[3] See Shabanie Mashaba Mine.
It is also home to Murowa Diamond Mine located in Mazvihwa, 40 km from Zvishavane Town.
Local government
Zvishavane District is run by two local government organs, the rural district council and the urban council.
For the rural district authority see Runde Rural District Council.
The Zvishavane Town Council, established in terms of the Zimbabwe Urban Councils Act, Chapter 29.15,[4] administers the urban district.
2013 - 2018 Council
Source: Zimbabwe Electoral Commission[5]
Ward | Councillor | Party | Constituency |
---|---|---|---|
01 | Phiri Arusah | ZANU-PF | |
02 | Mudekwa Isaiah | ZANU-PF | |
03 | Phiri Fatuma | MDC-T | |
03 | Utonga Andrew | ZANU-PF | |
04 | Majama Charity | MDC-T | |
05 | Mago Tinashe | ZANU-PF | |
06 | Ferreira Jose Manuel | ZANU-PF | |
06 | Chitototo Josiphati | MDC-T | |
07 | Dube Esau Gwatipedza | MDC-T | |
08 | Pasira Itai | MDC-T | |
09 | Chikandiwa Andrew | MDC-T | |
10 | Gadziwa Samuel | MDC-T | |
2008 - 2013 Town Council
Source: Kubatana Aechive[6]
Ward | Councillor | IParty | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
01 | Chimedza Sam | MDC-T | |
02 | Taruvinga Patson | MDC-T | |
03 | Murombedzi Francis | MDC-T | |
04 | Muvenge Francis Mashoko | MDC-T | |
05 | Dube Nyika Jastin Berebende | MDC-T | |
06 | Matondo London | MDC-T | |
07 | Pamire Godfrey | MDC-T | |
08 | Zhou Alluwis | MDC-T | Chairman |
09 | Moyo Mordikai Masocha | MDC-T | |
10 | Mushipe Pardon | MDC-T | |
Coordinates: 20°19′S 30°03′E / 20.31°S 30.05°E
See also
References
- ↑ Lore and Legend: SOUTHERN RHODESIA PLACE NAMES: | A village and neighbourhood where many of the hills are reddish in colour. The name is derived from ChiShona mavu mashava (red soils), only the word mashava (red) having been retained in a slightly corrupted form. Another explanation is that the BaVenda, during their trek diagonally across Southern Rhodesia, used these hills as a beacon from the Selukwe range (Selukwe derives from the Venda word Chirugwe – “ a stone pig pen”. They said – “we must make for there – the Red Hills” – Makomo Mashaba. Mashaba as a name persisted. rhodesianheritage.blogspot|Retrieved 2 March 2016
- ↑ Isibindi Colourful Place Names of RhodesiaShabani rhodesia.me.uk|Retrieved 3 March 2016
- ↑ Faith Zaba|7 June 2013 Zvishavane: A tale of two different worlds The Zimbabwe Independent|News|Retrieved 2 March 2016
- ↑ Ministries of Local Government International |Chapter 29:15 Urban Councils Act|Zimbabwe Urban_Councils Act mlgi.org.za|Retrieved 2 March 2016
- ↑ Notice Board Local Authority Results-Midlands-Zvishavane Town Council Zec.gov.zw|Retrieved 2 March 2016
- ↑ The Herald (zw) candidates -'Harmonised' elections 29 March 2008: Local Government - Midlands Archived February 15, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. kubatana.net|archive|Retrieved 2 March 2016