Chinhoyi

Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe
Official seal of Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe Seal
Country	Zimbabwe
Province	Mashonaland West
Established	1906
Population  (2002)
• Total	56,794
	estimated
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (CEST)

Chinhoyi (formerly called Sinoia) is a large provincial town and is the capital of Mashonaland West province in Zimbabwe. Sinoia was established in 1906 as a group settlement scheme by a wealthy Italian called Lieutenant Margherito Guidotti who encouraged 10 Italian families to settle there.

Overview

Chinhoyi is located approximately 120 km north-west of Harare along the main road from Harare to Kariba and Chirundu. The main river in Chinhoyi is the Hunyani river. Chinhoyi is also the principal town in the Makonde district (formerly Lomagundi district).

Chinhoyi is situated in a farming area. The population of Chinhoyi in the 2002 census was 56,794. Chinhoyi was called Sinoia during the colonial era. The Chinhoyi caves are limestone caves about 8 km north of Chinhoyi town on the road to Karoi and these were first described by Frederick Courtney Selous in 1888.

The principal secondary schools in Chinhoyi are Chinhoyi High School (Government), Nemakonde High School (Government), and Lomagundi College (private). The town has 2 universities namely; Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) and Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU). Chinhoyi houses the biggest and modern referral hospital in Mashonaland West Province. There are two hotels in Chinhoyi. The Orange Grove Motel, about 1 km from the town centre on the Karoi road, and the Caves Motel, located 8 km from the town beside the Chinhoyi caves. Chinhoyi Hotel in the town centre was destroyed in a fire. It has been rebuilt and was taken over by Mark and Shari Flury . There are a number of small towns which are close to Chinhoyi. Banket 20 km south-east of Chinhoyi towards Harare, Alaska, Zimbabwe about 15 km north-west, and Lion's Den about 24 km north-west of Harare towards Karoi.

Transport

Transport to and from Chinhoyi is mainly by road. Bus services connect Chinhoyi with Harare, Karoi, Kariba, Mhangura, Bulawayo, and smaller villages in the district. There is a small aerodrome (for private planes) called Chinhoyi Aerodrome located about 10 km outside the town. The aerodrome needs some attention though. Chinhoyi is on a rail branch from Harare, which ends at Lions Den. There are no scheduled passenger trains. Taxis operate within the town area. There is also a local bus service.

See also

• Railway stations in Zimbabwe