Chegutu, originally known as Hartley, is a town in Mashonaland West Province,

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 ...

Location

The town is located in Chegutu District, Mashonaland West, in central northern Zimbabwe. It lies in the Hartley Hills southwest of the capital

Harare Harare ( ), formerly Salisbury, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of , a population of 1,849,600 as of the 2022 Zimbabwe census, 2022 census and an estimated 2,487,209 people in its metrop ...

at an altitude of above sea level.

Population

The 1982 population census recorded 19,621 inhabitants, rising to 30,122 by 1992. The population was estimated at 36,000 in 2002. By 2012 it had grown to 50,590 inhabitants.

Transportation

Chegutu lies on the A5 highway between Harare and

Bulawayo 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 claimed it to be about ...

. It is also on the railway line between the two cities. Secondary roads link it to

Chinhoyi Chinhoyi, previously known as Sinoia during the colonial era, is a city in central northern Zimbabwe in the Makonde District. It has a population of 90,800 and is primarily a college town, although it was originally founded as an Italian group ...

, Chakari, and the Mhondoro communal lands and Msengezi small-scale commercial farms.

Climate

The annual rainfall in Chegutu averages . The town's mean temperatures vary between 23 °C in the hottest month to 14 °C in the coldest.

Economy

Chegutu is the commercial and administrative centre of the surrounding district. Having been established as a mining settlement by gold prospectors, mining for gold and nickel remains important in the area. Its agricultural economy was developed significantly after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, with

maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

and

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

becoming major crops. One of Zimbabwe's largest textile mills was established there. Wheat is grown with the aid of irrigation from the nearby Mupfure River, and cattle rearing is also a significant activity. The Cotton and Grain Marketing Boards established depots in Chegutu for cotton and grain respectively, and by 1984 16 grain silos had been built in the town for the bulk storage and delivery of grain. The town has 12 large grain silos, each capable of holding 5,000 tons of grain, but most are unused. Banking facilities include CABS, CBZ Limited, Stanbic, AgriBank, and Steward Bank.

Schools

There are ten primary schools in Chegutu: Bryden Country School, David Whitehead Primary School, Hartley Number 1 Primary School, Chinengundu Primary School, Chegutu Primary School, Kaguvi Primary School, Pfupajena Primary School, Our Lady of Sorrow Primary School, Hartley Number 2 Primary School, and St Francis Primary School; and four secondary schools offering up to advanced level: St Francis High School (Chegutu), St Francis High School, Pfupajena High School, Adventist High School, and Chegutu High School. Most of the schools are government-owned. The local municipality owns 2 primary schools; 3 schools are owned by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, St Francis Primary and Secondary owned by the Archdiocese of Harare, and Our Lady owned by the Catholic nuns of the order Our Lady of Sorrow. The Methodist Church in Zimbabwe owns one primary school, Chegutu Primary, and the

Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sa ...

owns one secondary school. There are also a number of privately owned colleges offering primary and secondary education, but some are registered while some are yet to be registered.

Suburbs

There are four high-density suburbs: Chinengundu, Pfupajena, Chegutu, and Kaguvi (Phase 1–4) and one medium-density suburb, Umvovo. Pfupajena is popularly known as "kumaPee" and Chegutu known as "kumaCee". To most people, Chinengundu suburb is known as Heroes and the other part as ZMDC as the mining giant had built its staff houses in the area. The low-density suburbs are Hartley Hills, Hintonville, and Rifle Range.

Sporting facilities

There is one football stadium, Pfupajena Stadium, and one golf course which houses the Chegutu Country Club. The local municipality owns one swimming pool.

History

Before 1982, Chegutu was known as ''Hartley'', named after Henry Hartley, an early hunter and explorer. The settlement of Hartley was originally located in the Hartley Hills east of where the town is located today. White settlers flocked to the area after gold was discovered and the Butterfly and Giant Mines were both established nearby. The settlement was moved to its present location in 1899. In 1901 the railway reached Hartley, which was proclaimed a village in 1903 and a town in 1942. A Town Council was established in 1968 and in 1974 Hartley was granted municipality status. In 1982 the town's name was officially changed to Chegutu.

Mayors of Chegutu

Notable people

* Rick Cosnett, actor * Obert Chari, musician

References

{{authority control Populated places in Mashonaland West Province Chegutu District