Plumtree, Zimbabwe


Plumtree is a town in Zimbabwe. Alongside marula trees, wild plum trees grew abundantly in the area, hence the name Plumtree. The town was once called Getjenge by the Kalanga people which is the dominant tribe. Another name which is mainly used is Titji which simple means station due to the railway station which was operating in the area around 1897.

Location

The town is located in Bulilimamangwe District, in the Matabeleland South Province, in southwestern Zimbabwe, at the international border with Botswana. It is located about, by road, southwest of Bulawayo, the nearest large city. Plumtree sits on the main road between Bulawayo in Zimbabwe and Francistown in Botswana, about, further southwest from Plumtree. The geographical coordinates of Plumtree are:
20°28'41.0"S, 27°47'50.0"E. The border is defined by the Ramokgwebana River. The village of Ramokgwebana is opposite Plumtree on the Botswana side. Plumtree lies at an average elevation of above mean sea level.

Overview

It is the local administrative centre for Mangwe District, which is made up of two sub-districts; namely Mangwe Urban and Mangwe Rural. What was Bulilima West, is now Bulilima District.
At an altitude of, above sea level, the town sits on the watershed between the Limpopo River basin to the south and the Zambezi River basin to the north. The Tati River rises near Plumtree, running west and then south into the Shashe River, a tributary of the Zambezi. The annual rainfall is about, with a long dry season from April to October.
The railway from Bulawayo to Francistown crosses the border near Plumtree. There is a functioning casino in Plumtree. There are several elementary and secondary schools in the town. Radio and television reception from within Zimbabwe is weak in this neighborhood. Residents in Plumtree and neighboring communities rely on reception from neighboring Botswana and South Africa for news and general information.

Population

There are two main languages spoken in Plumtree; Kalanga and Ndebele. Other languages spoken to a lesser extent include Tswana, used near the Botswana border. In 2004, the population of the town was estimated at 2,184. The 2012 national population census enumerated the population of Plumtree, Zimbabwe, at 11,660 inhabitants. Of these, 6,261 were females and 5,399 were males. They were grouped into 3,273 households with average size of 3.6 family members.

Climate


Notable people linked to Plumtree