Antelope Mine , now known as Maphisa , is a town in the Matobo district of the province of Matabeleland South , Zimbabwe. On 14 June 2024, the government of Zimbabwe granted Maphisa the town status. Maphisa is located about 114 km south of Bulawayo and 14 km south of Kezi . The village was established in an area once rich in wildlife and was named after a goldmine which started operating in 1913 but closed in 1919. The mine was established on the site of ancient African workings which were first discovered by Europeans in the 1890s and the first claims were pegged in 1894.
18-481: Umzingwane is a district in the northern part of Matabeleland South province in Zimbabwe . It was formerly known as Esigodini and before 1982 as Essexvale . Its governing seat is located in the village of Umzingwane . Umzingwane District is located in the province of Matabeleland South with its main administrative council offices at Esigodini . Umzingwane District lies just south-east of Bulawayo City ,
36-666: A large communal agricultural scheme. Many mission schools have been established in the area, and the Salvation Army operates both a mission school and a hospital in the village. Antelope Mine is, like several other mining areas in Zimbabwe, a centre of settlement for members of the Chewa people . They migrated to the then British colony of Southern Rhodesia in the 1950s from Northern Rhodesia (the present-day Zambia ) and Nyasaland (now Malawi ) to work as migrant labourers in
54-446: Is a province in southwestern Zimbabwe . With a population of 683,893 as of the 2012 Zimbabwean census. It is the country's least populated province after Matabeleland North .Matabeleland South and Matabeleland North were established in 1974, when the original Matabeleland Province was bifurcated. The province is divided into six districts. Gwanda is the capital, and Beitbridge is the province's largest town. The name "Matabeleland"
72-404: Is derived from Ndebele , the province's largest ethnic group. Matabeleland South is bordered by Bulawayo and Matabeleland North to the north, Midlands to the northeast, Masvingo to the southeast, South Africa to the south, and Botswana to the west. It has an area of 54,172 square kilometres (20,916 sq mi), equal to 13.86% of the total area of Zimbabwe. It is the fourth-largest of
90-635: Is overseen by the Minister of State for Matabeleland South Province , a de facto governor who oversees provincial affairs and sits in the House of Assembly of the Parliament of Zimbabwe . The governor is appointed by the President of Zimbabwe and is not appointed to a set term. Historically, the governor held the title Governor of Matabeleland South, but the office has since been renamed to align with
108-425: Is represented by 13 Members of Parliament in the House of Assembly , Zimbabwe's lower house of Parliament . The province's current MPs since the 2018 elections are Patrick Dube , CCC Mp , Levi Mayihlome , CCC MP , Edgar Moyo , Abednico Ncube , Soul Ncube , Nqobizitha Ndlovu , Albert Nguluvhe , Dingumuzi CCC MP , Spare Sithole , and Farai Taruvinga . All are members of ZANU–PF except for Dube, who represents
126-534: Is represented in the Senate by six senators, three of whom must be women. Senators are not directly elected by voters, but are instead selected by party lists via a proportional representation system. The province's current senators since the 2018 elections are Themba Mathuthu ( ZANU–PF ), Alma Mkwebu (ZANU–PF), Tambudzani Mohadi (ZANU–PF), Simon Khaya-Moyo (ZANU–PF), Bekithemba Mpofu ( MDC Alliance ), and Meliwe Phuthi (MDC Alliance). Matabeleland South
144-529: The 2013 Constitution of Zimbabwe , which does not allow for provincial governors. The current Minister of State for Matabeleland South Province is Abednico Ncube , a ZANU–PF member who was appointed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in December 2017. Matabeleland South Province is divided into seven districts: Beitbridge , Bulilima , Gwanda , Insiza , Mangwe , Matobo , and Umzingwane . Like each of Zimbabwe's ten provinces, Matabeleland South Province
162-521: The MDC Alliance . Fast forward in 2023 now CCC and still under Nelson Chamisa the opposition made serious in roads and managed to wrestle 4 seats that is Mangwe- Matobo, Gwanda North ,Mangwe and Beitbridge west. What surprised the whole province is that opposition won Beitbridge West for the first time dating back from 2000. Also for the first time opposition shared with ZANU PF the senate seats and women quota, but still ZANUPF managed to win
180-727: The Northern Ndebele invaded and settled in the Esigodini area which was at the time inhabited by the Rozi and Moyo Karanga people , who themselves had migrated north from the territory around Gwanda and Belingwe. A township of some 200,000 acres was founded in 1894 as Essexvale, by Frederick C. Selous In 1896 the buildings at Essexvale were burned down by Inxnozan (Inxnogan), during the Matabele Rebellion . Umzingwane District has government headquarters located in
198-585: The country's ten provinces in area. Matabeleland South sits on the edge of the Kalahari Desert , giving it an arid climate not hospitable to agriculture . The province sits on the edge of the Kalahari desert, hence it is arid and very dry. The province shares borders with South Africa and Botswana. As a result, there are Tswana, Sotho/Pedi, Venda, Shangani (Tsonga) and the Khoisan speaking people in
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#1732791677741216-765: The mineral extraction and agricultural industries. During the Zimbabwean government's Gukurahundi campaign against the Ndebele population of southern Zimbabwe in the 1980s, the disused mine workings at Antelope Mine were the site of a concentration camp run by the Fifth Brigade of the Zimbabwean Army . Many prisoners were reported to have been killed and their bodies thrown down the mineshaft. On two instances, in 1996 and 1999, skeletal remains believed to be of executed ZAPU prisoners were discovered in
234-467: The old transport hub of the late 20th century lost its familiarity and use with these two countries. 21°00′S 29°30′E / 21.000°S 29.500°E / -21.000; 29.500 Antelope Mine The modern town is a commercial centre for the surrounding area and the Semukwa communal land. Together with the villages of Maphisa , it draws on the nearby Gulamela Dam to irrigate
252-512: The province. The other languages that are native in the province are Ndebele and Kalanga. Towns and villages in Matabeleland South include Antelope Mine , Beitbridge , Brunapeg , Colleen Bawn , Esigodini , Filabusi , Fort Rixon , Gwai , Gwanda , Kafusi , Kezi , Madlambudzi , Makhado , Maphisa , Masendu , Ndolwane , Plumtree , Shangani , Stanmore , Tshitshi , Bulu , West Nicholson , and Zezani . Matabeleland South
270-641: The second largest city in Zimbabwe, and to the south of Umguza District of Matabeleland North . Within Matabeleland South, Umzingwane district borders the following districts: Insiza , Gwanda and Matopo . The district lies almost entirely in the watershed of the Umzingwane River , a left tributary of the Limpopo , but also, in its western regions, includes portions of the Mtshabezi watershed . The district has several recreational parks, including
288-537: The twelve square kilometers of Umzingwane Recreational Park (aka Umzingwane Dam Reserve), the forty-two square kilometers of Lake Cunningham Recreational Park, and including parts of Matobo National Park . The terrain in Umzingwane District is varied from the granite inselbergs and koppies (kojies) of the Motobo Hills to flat alluvial plains along the lower drainages. In the early 19th century,
306-694: The village of Umzingwane , and by the Umzingwane Rural District Council, which has its offices in Esigodini. The district is divided into twenty administrative wards. Traditionally the district is divided into four parts, each ruled by a local chieftain. In 2012, Umzingwane District had 48 percent of the economically active population employed in agriculture (primarily farming and livestock production), 17 percent employed in services occupations, 17 percent employed in mining and construction and 2 percent employed in educational institutions. Matabeleland South Matabeleland South
324-410: The youth quota rep . Its economy is largely centered around subsistence farming and livestock farming . Droughts and a lack of economic opportunities have resulted in widespread poverty and migration out of the province. Transport The province has an important geographical location which can link Botswana to Malawi or South Africa to south Zambia through Bulawayo, but due to lack of investment,
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