Amaveni is a high-density suburb in

Kwekwe Kwekwe ( ), formerly known as Que Que, is a city in the Midlands province in 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-mo ...

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

. It is about west of the city's central business district.

History

Amaveni is one of the oldest suburbs or townships in Zimbabwe. It was established at the beginning of the 20th century by the

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a self-governing British Crown colony in Southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally known as South ...

n colonial authorities as a racially segregated dormitory township for African male labourers. Most of these labourers worked as house servants for white families in the nearby suburbs of Fitchlea, Newtown, Masasa Park and Hillandale or in the newly-established shops and factories. Some of the residents also worked for the nearby gold mines of Globe and Phoenix, Gaika and Riverlea, particularly those who could not be housed at the mine workers' compounds. Some of the first buildings in Amaveni were the hostels for male labourers (currently being used as the youth centre, Rugare Old People's Home and informal sector workshops). The township's name, according to one of its first residents, Jonas Macela Nkomo (1908–2002), was derived from an

Ndebele Ndebele may refer to: *Southern Ndebele people, located in South Africa *Northern Ndebele people, located in Zimbabwe * Sumayela Ndebele (Northern Transvaal Ndebele), located in South Africa Languages *Southern Ndebele language, the language of ...

army's battalion called Amaveni. The battalion fought during the 1893 Anglo-Ndebele war in the

Matebeleland Matabeleland is a region located in southwestern Zimbabwe that is divided into three provinces: Matabeleland North, Bulawayo, and Matabeleland South. These provinces are in the west and south-west of Zimbabwe, between the Limpopo and Zambezi ...

region of Zimbabwe.

Demographics

Today Amaveni's population is made up of people from different professional backgrounds: civil servants, workers from the heavy industries of Zimbabwe Iron and Smelting Company (ZIMASCO),

Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company is the largest steel works in Zimbabwe. It is located just outside Kwekwe, in Redcliff, Kwekwe District. Over the years the company has faced many operational problems and corruption scandals. History In 1942, th ...

(ZISCO ow NewZim Steel,

Lancashire Steel Lancashire Steel F.C. were a Zimbabwean football club which was based in Kwekwe. They were set to play in the second tier of Zimbabwean football after their relegation at the end of the 2008 football season before folding up. Their home stadium ...

, Sable Chemicals, Haggie Rand Zimbabwe, and National Breweries, among other industries. A large proportion of the residents are engaged in the informal sector, mainly fruit and vegetable vending as well as informal gold mining.

Facilities and transport

The main bus terminus for the city of Kwekwe is located in the suburb opposite the Batanai tavern. There has been one main shopping centre till 2002 when another one was established at the 'Superette' in the W section of the township. There are three primary schools, namely Amaveni Primary School, Kushinga Primary School and St Martin's Primary School. Only one high school exists, Amaveni High School. Amaveni High school is the only high school in the suburb.

Notable residents

* Blessing Chebundo MP * John Phiri (Wankie and national football player; not to be confused with national team footballer

John Phiri John "JP" Phiri (born 3 May 1962) is a Zimbabwean retired footballer. Early life Born on 3 May 1962, John Phiri is the son of former Rhodesia striker July Phiri. He first played with foremost local team, Rio Tinto FC Under-13s (renamed Eiffel ...

)

References

{{Kwekwe District Suburbs in Kwekwe