Mhangura Mangula | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Mhangura Mhangura located in Zimbabwe Map | |
| Coordinates: 16°54′S30°09′E / 16.900°S 30.150°E | |
| Country |  Zimbabwe |
| Province | Mashonaland West |
| District | Doma |
| Population (1982) | |
| • Total | 11,175 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (CAT) |
| Climate | Cwb (Subtropical highland) |
Mhangura, formerly Mangula, is a small town and former mining community in the Doma District of Mashonaland West Province, in northern Zimbabwe.
It is located 188 kilometres (117 mi) northwest of Harare. The name was probably derived from the Shona word mhangura meaning "red metal", in reference to copper.[ citation needed ]
In the 1960s the Messina Transvaal Development Company (MTD) developed what was at that time called the Mangula Copper Mines Ltd (MCM). They registered the company, MTD (Mangula) Ltd, on the stock exchange. Soon after independence, MTD sold their assets to ZMDC, a parastatal.[ citation needed ]
The mineworkers lived in compounds, while the mostly white bosses lived in suburbs, and had their own sports club. In the 1960s and 1970s, the town was known for its football team, the Copper Stars, including players like the Chieza brothers. There were games at the stadium every alternate Sunday, which were enthusiastically attended. [1] [2]
When fully operational, around 1500 full-time workers were employed in mining, and others were employed in sanitation, security, and mine-related services. [3]
The name of the town was changed after Zimbabwean independence on 18 April 1980; new names for 32 places were gazetted on 18 April 1982. [4] [5]
Mhangura Copper Mines Ltd, a subsidiary of Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation, operated one of the biggest copper mines in the country here. [6] [7] [8] All mining was closed in the late 1990s, due to falling prices on the world copper market. [6] Other mining towns, such as Shackleton, Sutton, Vanad, Kildonan, and Alaska, also became ghost towns, changing from thriving communities to impoverished small villages. [3] [9]
The workforce was reduced to 800 when the mine closed, and its local economy, which had centred on extracting and milling copper, collapsed. Local banks and shops closed down. [3] By 2014 the town's water, power, and sanitation infrastructure were failing. [6]
In 2022, a private investor was looking for backers to restart exploration at Mhangura, and the Zimbabwean Government engaged Scout Aerial Africa to undertake an Aeromagnetic survey, and produce a drilling programme, with maps showing potential areas to target for mining, within the Shackleton claims and Mhangura extension. [8]
Mhangura had a population of 11,175 in the 1982 census; by 1992, only 5,747; and in 2012, there were only 2,930 people living in the town. Population was not recorded in the 2022 census. [10]
Zimbabwean cricketer Natsai Mushangwe comes from Mhangura. [11]
The sprinter Artwell Mandaza (c.1946–2019), nicknamed the "Mangula Meteor", lived in Mhangura. On 28 June 1969, he became the fastest man in Rhodesian athletics history. At the Salisbury Police track he beat Springbok Sakkie van Zyl in the 100m race, breaking Johan du Preez's six-year-old Rhodesian record of 10.5 seconds, achieving 1.3 seconds. He was coached by British athletics and football coach Ray Batchelor, [12] [13] who also coached the "Copper Stars", the local Mangula football team. [2]
Notable football players included John Phiri, the seven Chieza brothers (in particular Tendai Chieza), and many others. [1]
Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in Southern Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesia. It was initially administered, as were the two earlier protectorates, by the British South Africa Company (BSAC), a chartered company, on behalf of the British Government. From 1924, it was administered by the British Government as a protectorate, under similar conditions to other British-administered protectorates, and the special provisions required when it was administered by BSAC were terminated.
Cobar is a town in central western New South Wales, Australia whose economy is based mainly upon base metals and gold mining. The town is 712 km (442 mi) by road northwest of the state capital, Sydney. It is at the crossroads of the Kidman Way and Barrier Highway. The town and the local government area, the Cobar Shire, are on the eastern edge of the outback. At the 2016 census, the town of Cobar had a population of 3,990. The Shire has a population of approximately 4,700 and an area of 44,065 square kilometres (17,014 sq mi).
Selebi-Phikwe is a mining town located in the Central District of Botswana. It had a population of 42,488 in 2022. The town is an administrative district, separate from the surrounding Central District.
Kitwe is the third largest city in terms of infrastructure development and second largest city in terms of size and population in Zambia. With a population of 517,543 Kitwe is one of the most developed commercial and industrial areas in the nation, alongside Ndola and Lusaka. It has a complex of mines on its north-western and western edges.
Kabwe is the capital of the Zambian Central Province and the Kabwe District, with a population estimated at 202,914 at the 2010 census. Named Broken Hill until 1966, it was founded when lead and zinc deposits were discovered in 1902. Kabwe also has a claim to being the birthplace of Zambian politics as it was an important political centre during the colonial period.
West Nicholson or Tshabezi is a town in the Matabeleland South Province of Zimbabwe.
Shamva is a town in the province of Mashonaland Central in the Shamva District of Zimbabwe. It is located in the Mazowe valley about 90 km north-east of Harare. The area was called Abercorn by Rhodesian colonizers. The present name is derived from a Shona word which means 'to become friendly'. The town is most famous for the gold mine of the same name at the foot of the Shamva Mountain. Nickel is now mined in area after a large nickel deposit was discovered in the area. The gold mine recently reopened after Landela Mining Ventures Ltd., a subsidiary of the Mauritius-based company Sotic International Ltd., purchased the Shamva gold mine from Metallon Corporation, with a goal of producing 400 kg of gold per month by 2023. However attacks, killings, and disappearances of gold miners have been ongoing in various parts of Zimbabwe since 2018, including in Shamva and nearby Mazowe.
Alaska is a small town in central northern Zimbabwe in Makonde District, Mashonaland West Province.
Kadoma, formerly known as Gatooma, is a town in Zimbabwe.
Kildonan, Zimbabwe is a village in Mashonaland West Province in Zimbabwe.
Shackleton is a village in Mashonaland West province in Zimbabwe, near the Chinhoyi region.
The second-largest mineral industry in the world is the mineral industry of Africa, which implies large quantities of resources due to Africa being the second largest continent, with 30.37 million square kilometres of land.With a population of 1.4 billion living there, mineral exploration and production constitute significant parts of their economies for many African countries and remain keys to economic growth. Africa is richly endowed with mineral reserves and ranks first in quantity of world reserves for bauxite, cobalt, industrial diamond, phosphate rock, platinum-group metals (PGM), vermiculite, and zirconium.
The Crocodile Armoured Personnel Carrier or "Croc" is a Rhodesian armoured personnel carrier first introduced in 1977 and based on Japanese commercial heavy-duty trucks' chassis. It remains in use with the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA).
The MAP45 Armoured Personnel Carrier is a Rhodesian/Zimbabwean 4x4d heavy troop-carrying vehicle (TCV) first introduced in 1978 based on a Mercedes-Benz truck chassis. It remains in use with the Zimbabwe National Army.
Raymond Harold Walter Batchelor (1924–2006), often misspelt Bachelor, was an English athletics and football coach and administrator who was active in Kenya, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. He is known for being the first ever manager of the Kenya national football team.
Bwana Mkubwa is a settlement and a mine in Copperbelt Province, Zambia. It is the oldest mine in Zambia's Copperbelt region. As a settlement with no municipal status, it became a locale due to the abundant copper deposits found in the area. Today, it is part of Ndola.
The Rhodesian Selection Trust (RST) was a mining Corporation which produced copper from the Copperbelt region of Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia.
Roan Antelope is a copper mine in Zambia. The deposits were discovered in 1902, but their full extent was not understood until 1926. The mine site was developed between 1927 and 1931, at first experiencing many deaths from malaria due to poor drainage. Production since then has experienced various slumps and booms. The mine was nationalized in 1970 and returned to private ownership in 1997. The new owners struggled to make it profitable, and it changed hands twice.
John "JP" Phiri is a Zimbabwean retired footballer.
Tanganyika Concessions Limited was a British mining and railway company founded by the Scottish engineer and entrepreneur Robert Williams in 1899. The purpose was to exploit minerals in Northern Rhodesia and in the Congo Free State. Partly-owned subsidiaries included the Union Minière du Haut-Katanga (UMHK), which undertook mining in the Katanga portion of the copperbelt, and the Benguela railway, which provided a rail link across Angola to the Atlantic Ocean. Belgian banks eventually took over control of the company. The Angolan railway concession was returned to the state of Angola in 2001.
Rev. ed. of: Area handbook for Southern Rhodesia. 1975
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
