Chivi, originally known as Chibi, is a district in the

Masvingo Province Masvingo, previously named Victoria, is a province in southeastern Zimbabwe. It has a population of 1.638 million as of the 2022 census, ranking fifth out of Zimbabwe's ten provinces. Established by the British South Africa Company, it was one o ...

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 ...

. The area was originally established as a

mission station A Christian mission is an organized effort to carry on evangelism, in the name of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries. Sometimes individuals are sent and ...

in 1894 by the

Berlin Missionary Society The Berlin Missionary Society (BMS) (German: ''Berliner Missionsgesellschaft'' (BMG)) was a Berlin-based German Protestant (Lutheran) Christianity, Christian missionary society, active from 1824 to 1972 in South Africa, East Africa and China. In 197 ...

under the name Chibi Mission.

Geography

Chivi North

Education

Prominent Schools

The district also has many Missionary schools: chibi high school, Berejena mission high school, Nyaningwe (St Luke's) High School and other smaller day secondary schools.

Geography

Chivi is located in a

semi-arid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a aridity, dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below Evapotranspiration#Potential evapotranspiration, potential evapotranspiration, but not as l ...

area and occupies an area of 3,510 km² north of

Mwenezi (District) Mwenezi, originally known as Nuanetsi, is a small district situated in southern Zimbabwe. It is bisected by the Mwenezi River and the A4 highway, the main thoroughfare that connects the town of Beitbridge, on the border with South Africa, to Masvi ...

and west of Masvingo (District). The district is situated in the drought-prone region of the country with an average rainfall of 450 mm per year.

Demographics

Chivi is inhabited by the

Karanga people The Shona people () also/formerly known as the Karanga are a Bantu ethnic group native to Southern Africa, primarily living in Zimbabwe where they form the majority of the population, as well as Mozambique, South Africa, and worldwide diaspora. ...

, who are a subgroup of the

Shona Shona often refers to: * Shona people, a Southern African people ** Shona language, a Bantu language spoken by Shona people today ** Shona languages, a wider group of languages defined in the early 20th century ** Kingdom of Zimbabwe, a Shona stat ...

tribe. Much of the district is occupied by subsistence farmers.

Government and politics

The district sends three members to Zimbabwe's

House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible g ...

. Each of the wards in the district has an elected official who works at the rural district council. The district was divided into three sections for the 2008 elections, namely north, central and south. The district has been a stronghold of ZANU-PF since independence in 1980.Sokwanele site
The current Chairman of the Rural District Council is Killer zivhu whilst the Senator for the area is Josiah Hungwe both of the

ZANU–PF The Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF) is a political organisation which has been the ruling party of Zimbabwe since independence in 1980. The party was led for many years by Robert Mugabe, first as prime minister wi ...

party.

Muzvidziwa Village (Gongwa)

Despite being one of the oldest villages in the district, Gongwa is facing extinction from the massive spread of the growth point. Established in the early 1960s, the villagers witnessed the first and second

Chimurenga ''Chimurenga'' is a word in Shona. The Ndebele equivalent is not as widely used since most Zimbabweans speak Shona; it is ''Umvukela'', meaning "revolutionary struggle" or uprising. In specific historical terms, it also refers to the Ndebele ...

(war against the white settlers). Starting from the Western hills the village stretches more than 20 hectares to the East. Half of the village has been cut to provide the land for the growth point. In 2000, most of the villagers were moved to various places after the land reform program provided land for them, however conflict among the remaining villagers and the District Council raised as the council did not have enough funds for the relocation of the villagers. The school was built by some Mujibhas to provide education to their children.

Chivi South

Manyiwa village falls under chiefs Nemauzhe Mutau, Zinhumwe, Donono, Mukanga, Tumburai, Zivuku, Runesu, Maringire, and others. The Member of

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

for Chivi South as of 2023 is Saul Maburutse of ZANU PF. To note some schools Chamanhanzva High School, Neruvanga, Chasiyatende, Berejena Mission High School and Magwari Primary School

Chivi Central

The Member of

for the area is Maoneke Exavier of the

party .Village heads: Madhigi village Freddie Madhigi/Madigi Under Chief Chimhamhiwa. Vurayayi ( Gwede) Village under chief Chipindu just to name a few

Chivi North

Is the area including Chivi Growth Point whose current Member of

as of 2023 is Mukungurugwa Huruva Godfrey of the

party.

Education

Nyaningwe High School

The school is the second largest and at the growth point. Nyaningwe was established in 2001 by a local catholic priest, Father Guido Zannet as a missionary school to curb walking distance crisis to access secondary education at nearby Chibi Mission, Tambudzai and Chinembiri secondary schools are at least from the growth point. In 2015, the school had over 700 students, in form 1 to 4 classes and A level offering commercials and Arts. Most events are held at the Nyaningwe High school Hall which is the largest in the district.

References

{{authority control Districts of Masvingo Province Districts of Zimbabwe

Geography

Chivi North

Education

Prominent Schools

Geography

Demographics

Government and politics

Muzvidziwa Village (Gongwa)

Chivi South

Chivi Central

Chivi North

Education

Nyaningwe High School

Further reading

References