Silobela is an agricultural village in

Kwekwe District Kwekwe District is a district in Zimbabwe. Location It is found in the Midlands Province, in the central Zimbabwe. Kwekwe, with an estimated population of about 99,200 in 2004, is the capital city of the district. The district capital is locate ...

in the Midlands Province of

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 ...

. It is located about west of

Kwekwe Kwekwe ( ), known until 1983 as Que Que, is a city in the Midlands province of central Zimbabwe. The city has a population of 119,863 within the city limits, as of the 2022 census, making it the 7th-largest city in Zimbabwe and the second-most p ...

town, north-west of

Gweru Gweru is a city in central Zimbabwe. Near the geographical centre of the country. It is on the centre of Midlands Province. Originally an area known to the Ndebele as "The Steep Place" because of the Gweru River's high banks, in 1894 it beca ...

town, and bordering Nkayi on the west.

Background

Most of the inhabitants of Silobela were relocated from the area between Gweru and

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 ...

(called Hogo) in the 1940s to allow for white commercial farmers to take up that land. Most of the population is Ndebele and they speak the isiNdebele language.

Centers

A major centre in Silobela is the Loreto Mission which incorporates the Loreto High School, a Roman Catholic boarding school, the Loreto Hospital, which is the largest medical centre in the region, and the Police Station with detention cells. Also in the vicinity is an irrigation co-operative and a business centre with a supermarket, beer outlets and

greengrocer A greengrocer is a person who owns or operates a shop selling primarily fruit and vegetables. The term may also be used to refer to a shop selling primarily produce. It is used predominantly in the United Kingdom and Australia. In the United ...

's. The

Gweru River Gweru River (known as Gwelo River until 1982) is a river in Midlands Province of Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bo ...

passes just to the east of Loreto.

Crossroads District Service Center

Crossroads Growth Point is the commercial hub of Silobela. It is about 80 km Southwest of

. From this center one roads leads to

, the other to Nkayi and the other to the northern villages of Silobela, and still the main one to

, hence Crossroads.

Silobela Old People's Home

The Silobela Old people’s Home was built on a 20 hectare farm, which was donated by the Government in 1979.

Villages

The district is divided into smaller undocumented areas each with several primary schools and fewer secondary schools. A non-exhaustive list of these smaller areas includes * Grid 13, koMjika * Lahleka, * Nyakwathi, * Donsa, * Simana, * Ntobe, * Mtshogwe, * Nzwananzi, * Malisa, chief * BB, * Common range, * Gobo, * Ruya, * Sinangeni, * Sikhumbatshokotshe, * Mahlathini, * Kanye, * Abifoil, * Green, * Jena Mines * Zibomvu' * Mtshikitsha' * Mbombela * KoParker

Economy

Silobela is known for its rich

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

deposits. There have been reports of people finding exposed gold deposits in their back yards. Gold has been mined in the past by the now inoperative Turtle Mine, and by Empress Mine and Leopard Mine, now jointly known as Jena Mines. Currently, the Jena Mines, together with thousands of illegal gold panners, are actively extracting gold in the area. There is also

Exchange Irrigation Scheme Exchange Irrigation Scheme is a 165 hectare irrigated arable land in Zhombe Communal Land but in Silobela Constituency in Kwekwe District of the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe. It is 37 km southwest of Zhombe Joel, 83 km northwest of ...

which is in Silobela Constituency and is administered by Silobela Offices yet geographically it is in Zhombe Communal Land.

Jena Mine

Jena Mine is owned by the Kuvimba Mining house (pvt) ltd. Jena Mine has seen both odd and even economic times but the ZMDC keeps resuscitating it. Of late a new power line from the thermal Munyati Power Station has enhanced gold production at Jena Mine. but local Solobela has not seen much improvements economically even though Jena Mine produces about 40 kg of gold each month. However, Jena Mine is the biggest gold producer in the Midlands Province employing over 600 people.Rumbidzai Zinyuke, 28 January 201
, BH24 » ZMDC seeks US$15 million to resuscitate Jena Gold Mines , Jena Mine is the biggest gold producer in the province and employs 632 people at full capacity.
Bulawayo24, Business, Retrieved 12 February 2016

References

{{Kwekwe District Populated places in Midlands Province Kwekwe District