Chitungwiza

Chitungwiza
Coat of arms of Chitungwiza Coat of arms
Nickname(s):  Chi Town
Motto(s):  Pamberi Nekushandria Pamwe
Country	Zimbabwe
Province	Mashonaland East
Formed	1978
Government
• Mayor	Misheck Shoko
Population  (2002)
• Total	321,782
Time zone	UTC+2 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (CEST)

Chitungwiza — known colloquially as Chi Town — is a high-density dormitory town in Zimbabwe. The town is approximately 30 kilometres south of the capital, Harare. It was formed in 1978 from three townships: Seke, Zengeza, and St Marys.

Background

Chitungwiza has several suburbs. Seke is an aggregation of many sections whilst Zengeza is composed of 5 different sub-sections; Zengeza 1 to 5. Zengeza 4 is near the Chitungwiza Shopping Complex which is popularly known as the "Town Centre" (which in turn is located in Seke's Unit "D". In Seke there is "Makoni" which is a smaller shopping centre which houses several flea markets and a bus depot. There are more than 15 different housing estates in Seke which are named after the alphabet. There is Unit A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, O, and Unit P. The houses are mostly high density detached units of single storey with a small yard that is generally used for growing vegetables and during the summer rainy season also corn (maize) known locally as the meal.

Infrastructure

There is one main highway that connects the town to Harare which is in serious need of maintenance as of 2007. Public transport is composed of regular single level buses and more reliably minibus taxis (called emergency taxis locally). All public transport services tend to be overcrowded throughout the day due to shortages of vehicles and spare parts experienced as a result of the country's poor economic performance under the Mugabe regime.

Demographies

Chitungwiza is located in the traditional territory of the Hera people. Its most distinguished historical figure is the Pasipamire, the pre-colonial svikiro (spirit medium) of Chaminuka. He is remembered for predicting the colonisation of the country by the British.

History

Chitungwiza gained full municipal status in 1981 and is the third-largest and the fastest-growing urban centre in Zimbabwe. According to the 2002 Population Census, the town had a population of 321,782. However, its true population is closer to one million. Most of the people work in Harare, as there is very little industry in Chitungwiza. There are growth points (an urban area with limited tax breaks) there and bus ranks. The Chitungwiza town council is dominated by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.

In recent years

Chitungwiza was one of the areas targeted by Operation Murambatsvina in 2005 in which many residents lost their homes and businesses.

External links

• Chitungwiza (Zimbabwe)