Zvishavane District
Zvishavane District is one of the eight districts in Midlands Province of Zimbabwe.
It has Mberengwa District to the south and Shurugwi District to the north.
Its capital is Zvishavane town.
Background
Zvishavane derives its name from its sister town Mashava. Mashava is a ChiShona word describing the hills in that place as reddish. The name Mashava formerly Mashaba origins is stated in the Rhodesian Lore and Legend: SOUTHERN RHODESIA PLACE NAMES published by The Chief Information Officer,Information Services
Branch.
Division of Native Affairs,
Salisbury September, 1960
| Shona word | English meaning | Explanation |
| Shava | Reddish | Shava is the Shona name of an Eland derived from the colour of the animal. |
| Chishava | Something reddish | it is a description of a single thing reddish in colour. |
| Mashava | Reddish | it describes particular reddish things. Here it describes reddish hills. |
| Zvishava | reddish things | it describes many things reddish in colour. |
| Zvishavane | semi reddish | it describes things not as reddish as the earlier. Here it describes the many surrounding low hills that are characterised by lighter red soil than those hills in Mashava |
Some claim that the name Shabanie derives from the isiNdebele Shavani which means "finger
millet", or "trading together.
This is very unlikely for the matter that the English pronounced it as Shabanie.
- "va" in ChiShona is pronounced as the isiNdebele "ba".
- The word
- If
All the same finger millet colour is off-reddish, maybe tan in colour. That's Zviyo zvishavani or zvipfunde zvishavani'' in ChiShona.
Either way, the name derives from tan hills or tan coloured millet.
Economy
Zvishavane District is home of Zvishavane Town which developed from an abestos mine compound into a town.See Shabanie Mashaba Mine.
It is also home to Murowa Diamond Mine located in Mazvihwa, 40 km
from Zvishavane Town.
Local government
Zvishavane District is run by two local government organs, the rural district council and the urban council.For the rural district authority see Runde Rural District Council.
The Zvishavane Town Council, established in terms of the Zimbabwe Urban Councils Act, Chapter 29.15, administers the urban district.
2013 - 2018 Council
Source: Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Constituency |
| 01 | Phiri Arusah | ZANU-PF | |
| 02 | Mudekwa Isaiah | ZANU-PF | |
| 03 | Phiri Fatuma | MDC-T | |
| 03 | Utonga Andrew | ZANU-PF | |
| 04 | Majama Charity | MDC-T | |
| 05 | Mago Tinashe | ZANU-PF | |
| 06 | Ferreira Jose Manuel | ZANU-PF | |
| 06 | Chitototo Josiphati | MDC-T | |
| 07 | Dube Esau Gwatipedza | MDC-T | |
| 08 | Pasira Itai | MDC-T | |
| 09 | Chikandiwa Andrew | MDC-T | |
| 10 | Gadziwa Samuel | MDC-T |
2008 - 2013 Town Council
Source: Kubatana Aechive
| Ward | Councillor | IParty | Remarks |
| 01 | Chimedza Sam | MDC-T | |
| 02 | Taruvinga Patson | MDC-T | |
| 03 | Murombedzi Francis | MDC-T | |
| 04 | Muvenge Francis Mashoko | MDC-T | |
| 05 | Dube Nyika Jastin Berebende | MDC-T | |
| 06 | Matondo London | MDC-T | |
| 07 | Pamire Godfrey | MDC-T | |
| 08 | Zhou Alluwis | MDC-T | Chairman |
| 09 | Moyo Mordikai Masocha | MDC-T | |
| 10 | Mushipe Pardon | MDC-T |