Mbizo 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 ...

. It is located east of the city center across the railway line from ZIMASCO, the ferro-chrome producer. The suburb is divided into several sections all numbered one up to twenty.

Mbizo Section One Mbizo is a high density suburb in Kwekwe. It is located east of the city center across the railway line from ZIMASCO, the ferro-chrome producer. The suburb is divided into several sections all numbered one up to twenty. Mbizo Section One and Two ...

and Two form the oldest part of the suburb, which were originally built to house cheap labour for the gold mines in up town. Mbizo Stadium is located across from section one. Nearby, Manunure High School sprawls in a meadow across the street from Section Two.

Background

The suburb, as is everything in

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 ...

's main towns and cities, was formally a black only area, reserved for the poor and African population that streamed to the town in search of jobs. Together with Amaveni, Mbizo supplied the much needed labour to the gold mines scattered across the growing town. Since independence, the population of the suburb has exploded and the suburb itself has expanded from two sections numbered one and two, to eighteen. Most of these sections have extensions called 'one extension' and so forth.

In the news

It is the hometown of Samukeliso Sithole, a teenager who won seven gold medals in women's athletics events in 2004. The following year, Sithole, who was considered to be a man impersonating a woman, was sentenced to jail for four years. Sithole was released early in December 2007. In 2014, Sithole's younger brother, Kelvin Sibanda, killed Sithole with a screwdriver during an argument. The murder occurred in Bulawayo, about 200 km southwest of Mbizo. Sibanda was sentenced to one year in jail and an additional two years of a suspended sentence.

Politics

Like other townships in the working suburbs of cities across

, Mbizo has seen its share of political disturbances. Since 2000, when the

Movement for Democratic Change Movement may refer to: Generic uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Movement (sign language), a hand movement when signing * Motion, commonly referred to as movement * Movement (music), a division of a larger co ...

(MDC) competed in elections, there has been sporadic political violence in many parts of the ward, from section 1 all to section 20. As in most acts of political violence, ZANU-PF militia units have been at the forefront of political violence in the township, and the police has stood by without arresting perpetrators of violence. Members of the MDC have been kidnapped, had their homes burnt and have been persecuted by the

Zimbabwe Republic Police The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) is the national police force of Zimbabwe, having succeeded the British South Africa Police on 1 August 1980. History The predecessor of the Zimbabwe Republic Police was the British South Africa Police of ...

(ZRP) on many occasions. Reports of political violence in Mbizo have been reported in 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, and 2008.

Sports

Mbizo Stadium is a small stadiumDembare in Friendlie

accessed 02/11/2008) and it is used for various activities, from hosting music concerts by popular artists like

Alick Macheso Alick Macheso (born 10 June 1968), is a Zimbabwean Demographic features of the population of Zimbabwe include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of t ...

Simon Chimbetu Simon Chimbetu (23 September 1955 – 14 August 2005) was a Zimbabwean guitarist, vocalist and composer. He was the founding member of his band Orchestra Dendera Kings. He was known by many stage names, including "Chopper, "Mr Viscose" (before ...

Tongai Moyo Tongai Moyo (12 March 1968 – 15 October 2011) was a contemporary Zimbabwean musician, often referred to as Dhewa. Born and raised in Kwekwe, Dhewa rose to fame in the late 1990s as a solo artist and with the band Utakataka Express. Highly succe ...

, a native of the town. The stadium is located in Mbizo section one, the oldest part of the township. It has a capacity of about a thousand people.

Stampede

On 21 November 2014, a

stampede A stampede () is a situation in which a group of large animals suddenly start running in the same direction, especially because they are excited or frightened. Although the term is most often applied to animals, there are cases of humans stamped ...

occurred at Mbizo Stadium killing 11 and injuring 40 people.

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reported that around 30,000 people attended a religious service officiated by Walter Magaya. After the service, a large portion of the crowd attempted to leave the stadium using one exit. Four people died instantly in the ensuring stampede while seven more were pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The

Business Standard ''Business Standard'' is an Indian English-language daily edition newspaper published by Business Standard Private Limited, also available in Hindi. Founded in 1975, the newspaper covers the Indian economy, infrastructure, international busi ...

reported that the stampede was caused by police firing

teargas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce ...

after some of the crowd attempted to break off parts of the stadium wall to exit.

References