Buhera is a village in Zimbabwe.
Location
Buhera District is in
Manicaland Province
Manicaland is a Provinces of Zimbabwe, province in eastern Zimbabwe. After Harare Province, it is the country's second-most populous province, with a population of 2.037 million, as of the 2022 Zimbabwe census, 2022 census. Making it the third mo ...
, in eastern Zimbabwe. It is about , by road, southwest of
Mutare
Mutare, formerly known as Umtali until 1982, is the capital and largest city in the province of Manicaland. It is the third most populated in Zimbabwe. Having surpassed Gweru in the 2012 census, with an urban area, urban population of 224,802 ...
, the location of the provincial headquarters. This location is approximately , southeast of
Chivhu
Chivhu, originally known as Enkeldoorn, is a small town in Zimbabwe, with an estimated population of 10,000 in 2007. It is located south of Harare on the main road south to Masvingo and South Africa.
Name
Chivhu's original name, Enkeldoorn, i ...
, the nearest large town. Buhera offices are located approximately , by road, southwest of
Murambinda, the largest urban center in Buhera District.
The coordinates of Buhera Village are: 19° 19' 57.00"S, 31° 26' 6.00"E (Latitude:-19.3325; Longitude:31.4350). The district sits at an altitude of , above sea level.
Elevation of Buhera Above Sea Level
/ref> Economic activities in Buhera are largely mining and subsistence agriculture.
Overview
The District serves as the administrative and commercial centre for the Sabi communal lands. The economy of Buhera District depends mainly on farming, the main crops being maize, millet (mhunga) roundnuts (nyimo) and groundnuts (nzungu). Cattle ranching is also widely practised, primarily on a subsistence
A subsistence economy is an economy directed to basic subsistence (the provision of food, clothing and shelter) rather than to the market.
Definition
"Subsistence" is understood as supporting oneself and family at a minimum level. Basic subsiste ...
scale. Due to the unpredictability of the rains in the area, irrigation is required for a successful harvest. The area is fertile with several irrigation schemes for the populace to supplement their meager harvests. However the schemes are now in sorry state due to government neglect. There is an airstrip
An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...
, Buhera Aerodrome, approximately , north of the village center. Buhera is also divided into North, Centre, and South. Buhera district that is 100% dependent on rains yet no good rains have befallen it since 1990. With bad roads between Chivhu and Rukweza through Murambinda, it's hard to access other cities and that makes it difficult to expand in business in this arid land. Mountains like Gombe and Ngundu provides with best fruits like (mashuku or mahzanje) favored by the Shona people. Villagers find it hard to transport them because they are perishable once ripe. From Chidzikisa river you will see on the road side villagers selling this fruit from November to the first week of January.
History
The name ''Buhera'' is a Nguninised then Anglicised
Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...
version of the name VuHera. VuHera means territory of the Hera
In ancient Greek religion, Hera (; ; in Ionic Greek, Ionic and Homeric Greek) is the goddess of marriage, women, and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. In Greek mythology, she is queen of the twelve Olympians and Mount Oly ...
and is reference to the fact that the Hera ethnic group of the Shona lived in the area. The same ethnic group occupied neighbouring Chikomba District. The vaHera of the Museyamwa totem occupy most of the Buhera territory (under Chief Nyashanu) and much of neighbouring Chikomba (under Chief Mutekedza).
The Va Hera are of the Shona tribe and claim that they came from Guruuswa, which has been identified as an area north of the Zambezi River
The Zambezi (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than half of t ...
, perhaps around Uganda
Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...
or South Sudan
South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...
Chiurwi Mountain
was a major staging point for ZANLA liberation forces, during the Second Chimurenga War (1966–1979).
Villages surrounding Buhera Centre
Muchererwa village,
Mutara village,
Marume village,
Makuvise village,
Tsotdzo village,
Magunda village,
Mutsindikwa village,
Chibongodze village,
Mukucha village,
Magaya village,
Mutizwa village,
Mupungu village,
Matsinde village,
Makanda village.
Rwizi village, Tsvedemu village
Mudanda village
Mubvirwi village
Mapfumo village
Masvingo village
Benzi village
Makonya village
Muchefa village
Mugabe village
Chitongo Village
Primary schools around Buhera Centre
Marume primary school,
Chatindo primary school,
Nerutanga primary school,
Makanda primary school,
Chikuvire primary school,
Buhera village primary school,
Munyira primary school.
Prominent people from Buhera
The following people are known to be born in Buhera village or nearby:
* George Charamba
* Joseph Karimanzira
* Witness Mangwende
* Finias Munyira
* Morgan Tsvangirai
Morgan Richard Tsvangirai (; ; 10 March 1952 – 14 February 2018) was a Zimbabwean politician who was Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 2009 to 2013. He was president of the Movement for Democratic Change, and later the Movement for Democrati ...
* Daniel Muchuchuti
* John Makumbe
* Kumbirai Kangai
* King Shaddy
* Joseph Chinotimba
* Gideon Gono
* Simbarashe Mangwengwende
* Winky D
* Passion Java
* Batsirai Java
* Otilia Matimba
* Tangwara Matimba
* Jackson Chinembiri
* Kilimanjalo
* Sugar Sugar Taruvinga Manjokota
* Michael Jeremiah
* Oliver Mandipaka
* Kumbirai Kangai
* Grace Mugabe
Grace Ntombizodwa Mugabe (formerly Goreraza, Birth name, née Marufu; born 23 July 1965) is a Zimbabwean entrepreneur, politician and the widow of the late President Robert Mugabe. She served as the First Lady of Zimbabwe from 1996 until her hus ...
* Fungisai Zvakavapano Mashavave
* Donna Chibaya
* Charity Munzwembiri
* Jackson Mudyanadzo
* Bothwell James Gift Mugariri
* Advocate Eric Matinenga
* Kenneth Manyonda
*Paul Tungwarara
*Rooney Muderedzwa
*Nyasha Muzinda
*Tonderai Nyikayaparara Mutarisi
References
{{Geography of Zimbabwe
Populated places in Manicaland Province