Umguza District | |
|---|---|
 Umguza District in Matabeleland North | |
| Coordinates: 20°04′S28°35′E / 20.067°S 28.583°E | |
| Country | Zimbabwe |
| Province | Matabeleland North |
| Area | |
| • Total | 8,374.78 km2 (3,233.52 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 113,265 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (CAT) |
Umguza is a district in the southern part of Matabeleland North province in Zimbabwe. It was formerly known as Esiphezini District. [4]
Umguza District is bounded by Matobo and Umzingwane districts in the southeast, Bulilima and Tsholotsho in the west, Kusile (formerly part of Lupane District) in the north and Bubi in the north and east. It surrounds the Bulawayo metropolitan area to the south on three sides. [1]
Umguza District is governed by the Umguza Rural District Council, which has its offices in Bulawayo. [1] The district has one constituency, Umguza constituency, which was created out of the old Bubi-Umguza constituency. The constituency consists of the Nyamandlovu and Sawmills areas divided into fifteen wards. [6]
Obert Moses Mpofu was elected in 1990 and 1995 as the member of parliament from Bubi-Umguza Constituency, the predecessor constituency. [7] In 2008 and in 2013 he filled the parliamentary seat for the Umguza constituency. [7] He did not run in 2018. [8]
The climate in the district is arid and the primary occupation is animal ranching. [6] Among recent problems are "land barons" establishing illegal settlements, established without any concern for services such as water and electricity. [9]
In the 2000s and early 2010s, about a dozen farmers in the district grew tobacco on a commercial basis. However due to climate change, the rains became erratic and transport of the crop to the auction house in Harare, nearly 400 kilometres (249 mi) away became too expensive. As of 2019, there was no commercial tobacco farmer in Umguza District. [10]
In July 2021, AF Power Private Limited an independent power producer (IPP) based in Singapore announced plans to design, develop, operate and maintain a 200 megawatt solar power plant, in Umguza District. The Umguza Solar Power Station, which will be built in phases in expected to add the first 50 megawatts to the national grid during 2022. [11]
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council claimed it to be about 1.2 million. Bulawayo covers an area of 546 square kilometres in the western part of the country, along the Matsheumhlope River. Along with the capital Harare, Bulawayo is one of two cities in Zimbabwe that are also provinces.
Matabeleland North is a province in western Zimbabwe. With a population of 827,645 as of the 2022 census, it is the country's second-least populous province, after Matabeleland South, and is the country's least densely populated province. Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South were established in 1974, when the original Matabeleland Province was bifurcated. In 1997, the province lost territory when the city of Bulawayo became a province in its own ight. Matabeleland North is divided into seven districts. Its capital is Lupane, and Victoria Falls and Hwange its largest towns. The name "Matabeleland" is derived from the Matabele or Ndebele people, the province's largest ethnic group.
Matabeleland South is a province in southwestern Zimbabwe. With a population of 683,893 as of the 2012 Zimbabwean census, it is the country's least populous province. After Matabeleland North, it is Zimbabwe's second-least densely populated province. 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" is derived from Ndebele, the province's largest ethnic group.
Eastnor is a village in Bubi District, Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe and is located about 125 km northeast of Bulawayo in a commercial farming and gold mining area. It lies next to the Umguemembe, and is within the Bubi Mining District. The mining EPOs/leases were owned by Duration Gold in the south, BilboesGold in the north and Metallon Group in the center. Motapa Mine is immediately adjacent to the village, to the northeast. Bilboes Mine and Motapa Mine were sold to Caledonia Mining Corporation in 2022.
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Obert Moses Mpofu is a Zimbabwean politician, who served as Minister of Home Affairs from 2017 to September 2018. Previously he was Minister of Macro-Economic Planning and Investment Promotion; Minister of Industry and International Trade; Minister of Mines and Mining Development; and Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development. The Cabinet of Zimbabwe was later dissolved on 27 November 2017. He was reappointed as Minister of Home Affairs in Mnangagwa's first cabinet on 30 November 2017. The Culture portfolio was added to his ministry. Mpofu was later removed from the Zimbabwe cabinet in September 2018.
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