Shurugwi
Shurugwi | |
|---|---|
| Population (2009) | 17,075 |
Shurugwi (formerly Selukwe) is a Town located in Midlands Province in Zimbabwe. It is 350km away from Harare and 37km SE of Gweru. Shurugwi was established in 1899 on Selukwe goldfield, which itself was discovered in the early 1890s not long after the annexation of Zimbabwe by the British South Africa Company's Pioneer Column
History
Shurugwi was established in 1899 by the British South Africa Company and Willoughby's Consolidated Company. Its name was derived from a nearby bare oval granite hill that resembled the shape of a pigpen (selukwe) of the local Karanga people. [1] It was designated a town in 1968.
The town is an important centre for gold, chrome (the most important) and platinum mining, but is perhaps best known as the home of the former Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith who owned a farm near Gwenoro Dam.
Central Government
In the Zimbabwe 1985 Parliamentary Election, Shurugwi returned to Parliament:
- Simbarashe Simbanenduku Mumbegegwi of Zanu PF - 26 242 votes.
- Misheck Machonisa of PF-ZAPU - 490 votes.
- Stanley Mupeti of UANC - 183 votes.
In the 1990 Parliamentary Election (see A History of Zimbabwean Elections) Shurugwi returned to Parliament:
- David Ruzive of Zanu PF with 25 575 votes,
- Peter Musiyiwa of ZUM with 1 630 votes.
Turnout - 28 343 voters or 63.22 %
In the 2000 Elections, (see A History of Zimbabwean Elections) Shurugwi returned to Parliament:
- Francis Nhema of Zanu PF with 14 891 votes,
- Lucia Gladys Matinenga of MDC with 6 524 votes,
- Maria Stella Rusere of ZUP with 523 votes.
In the 2013 Elections, (see A History of Zimbabwean Elections) Shurugwi South returned to Parliament:
- Tapiwanashe Matangaidze of Zanu PF with 11 506 votes or 80.16 percent,
- Munyaradzi Mutandavari of MDC-T with 2 515 votes or 17.52 percent,
- Manners Muzondiwa of MDC with 332 votes or 2.31 percent.
Total 14 353 votes
Local Government
On 15 September 2023, it was reported that Shurugwi Town Council elected Councillor Fanuel Machiya Chairperson. [2]
Facilities
Most of the infrastructure in Shurugwi is very old. There is only one hotel in the town centre – the Grand Hotel which now operates as a bar.
Education
There are a number of schools in Shurugwi including Parkinson High, Chrome High, Shurugwi 2, Batanai High School, Charles Wraith Primary, Railway block primary, Selukwe peak primary, Ironside's primary . Most of the schools are found in Shurugwi rural area, such as Pakame Mission, which one of the oldest schools in the country, a Methodist run mission school which is about 40 km by road on the South towards Zvishavane, very close Guruguru Mountain, a volcanic solid rock mountain in Shurugwi Rural Areas, Tongogara High School, a government operated boarding school 40 km to the East and Hanke Adventist High School, an SDA run school 10 km on the North of Tongogara. Next to Hanke there is a school called Svika High named after a nearby Svika mountain which is the rural area of Francis Nhema. All these schools offer up to Advanced Level ("A-Level") education.
See Chikwingwizha Secondary School.
See Hanke Adventist Secondary School.
See Pakame Secondary School.
See Rusununguko Secondary School.
See Shurugwi 2 Secondary School.
Population
The Rhodesian Census of 1969 puts the population of Selukwe at 9400 African, 629 European, 31 Asians, 139 Coloureds for a total of 10 200.
Around 2019 it was home to about 17,075 people.
Further Reading
References
- ↑ [Chief Information Officer, Lore and Legend of Southern Rhodesia Place Names] (Southern Rhodesia Information Service, Salisbury, 1960) Retrieved 8 November 2021"
- ↑ 11 Local Authorities’ Elect Mayors, 263 Chat, Published: 15 September 2023, Retrieved: 5 October 2023
- ↑ [Katherine Sayce (Ed), Tabex, Encyclopedia Zimbabwe], Tabex, Encyclopedia Zimbabwe, (Quest Publishing, Harare, 1987), Retrieved: 25 July 2019
- ↑ [Mary Akers (ed.), Encyclopaedia Rhodesia] (The College Press, Salisbury, 1973) Retrieved 8 August 2019"
