West Nicholson

Last updated

West Nicholson
Tshabezi
Mzingwane WN.jpg
Mzingwane River at West Nicholson
Zimbabwe adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
West Nicholson
Location in Zimbabwe
Coordinates: 21°03′52″S29°21′54″E / 21.06444°S 29.36500°E / -21.06444; 29.36500 Coordinates: 21°03′52″S29°21′54″E / 21.06444°S 29.36500°E / -21.06444; 29.36500
Country Flag of Zimbabwe.svg Zimbabwe
Province Matabeleland South
Districts of Zimbabwe Gwanda District
MunicipalityWest Nicholson Town Council
Elevation
820 m (2,690 ft)
Population
 (1982 Census)
 • Total1,633
Time zone UTC+2 (CAT)
Climate Cwa

West Nicholson or Tshabezi is a town in the Matabeleland South Province of Zimbabwe. [1]

Contents

Location

It is located in Gwanda District, along the Bulawayo–Beitbridge Highway, approximately 44 kilometres (27 mi), southeast of the town of Gwanda, where the district headquarters are located. [2] This is approximately 171 kilometres (106 mi), by road, southeast of Bulawayo, the nearest large city. [3] West Nicholson is approximately 150.5 kilometres (94 mi), by road, northwest of the town of Beitbridge, at the international border with South Africa. [4] The geographical coordinates of the town are: 21°03'52.0"S, 29°21'54.0"E (Latitude:-21.064444; Longitude:29.365000). [5] West Nicholson sits at an average elevation of 820 metres (2,690 ft) above mean sea level. [6]

Overview

West Nicholson is named after Andy Nicholson, an early prospector who entered the country with the Pioneer Column and was responsible for mining exploration in the area. [7]

The town hosted a large beef factory, that turned the local cattle into corned beef and biltong, but this is now closed. There is a supermarket and butchery run by Rogers Brothers and Sons. Game and Safari activities are available at Tshabezi Safaris, Tamba, Sondelani and Tod's Guest House. Once a major gold mining area, the country around West Nicholson is riddled with small workings, the only major mining activity still occurs about four kilometers along the main road towards Bulawayo. The mine is called Jessie Mine owned by F.A. Stewart Private Limited. [7]

The Mzingwane River runs through the town and a railway runs past it, carrying passengers and cargo. [8]

Population

According to the 1982 population census, West Nicholson had a population of 1,633. [9]

Sports

Sporting activities are mainly based on soccer, having two teams namely, Jessie Mine Football Club and West Nicholson United playing in the Zimbabwe Football Association's lower division leagues. Other sporting activities include netball and volleyball with Jessie Mine and JZ Moyo High School taking part in the Matabeleland South Volleyball Association's leagues. [10]

Education

The local primary school, West Nicholson Primary School, is located close to downtown and is run by the Lutheran Church. JZ Moyo High School (Jason Ziyaphapha Moyo High School), is a government high school, for both girls and boys, that was established in 1982. [10] It is located in the former Majoda Farm, approximately 14 kilometres (9 mi), north of West Nicholson on the road to Filabusi. [11] JZ Moyo High School is part of the ZIMFEP group of schools. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matabeleland South Province</span> Province in Zimbabwe

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 was established in 1974, when the original Matabeleland Province was divided into two provinces, the other being Matabeleland North. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matabeleland</span> Region of southwestern Zimbabwe

Matabeleland is a region located in southwestern Zimbabwe that is divided into three provinces: Matabeleland North, Bulawayo, and Matabeleland South. These provinces are in the west and south-west of Zimbabwe, between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers and are further separated from Midlands by the Shangani River in central Zimbabwe. The region is named after its inhabitants, the Ndebele people who were called "Amatabele"(people with long spears – Mzilikazi 's group of people who were escaping the Mfecani wars). Other ethnic groups who inhabit parts of Matabeleland include the Tonga, Bakalanga, Venda, Nambya, Khoisan, Xhosa, Sotho, Tswana, and Tsonga. The population of Matabeleland is just over 20% of the Zimbabwe's total.

George Mitchell served as Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia from July to September 1933.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beitbridge</span> Town in Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe

Beitbridge is a border town in the province of Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe. The name also refers to the border post and bridge spanning the Limpopo River, which forms the political border between South Africa and Zimbabwe. The border on the South African side of the river is also named Beitbridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwanda</span> Zimbabwean town

Gwanda is a town in Zimbabwe. It is the capital of the province of Matabeleland South, one of the ten administrative provinces in the country. It is also the district capital of Gwanda District, one of the seven administrative districts in the province.

Esigodini, originally known as Essexvale, is a town in the Matabeleland South Province of Zimbabwe. It is the administrative centre for Umzingwane District, one of the seven administrative districts in Matabeleland South. It was originally an estate of Frederick Selous.

Colleen Bawn is a town in Zimbabwe.

Plumtree is a town in Zimbabwe. Alongside marula trees, wild plum trees grow abundantly in area. The town was once called Getjenge by baKalanga. Another name which is mainly used is Titji, meaning station and referring to the railway station which was operating in the area around 1897.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Filabusi</span> Zimbabwean town

Filabusi is a town in the Matabeleland South Province of Zimbabwe. The town is the district capital of Insiza District and a service centre for the surrounding mining and farming areas.

Brunapeg is a settlement in the Matabeleland South Province of Zimbabwe. It is one of the urban centres in Mangwe District, one of the seven administrative districts in the province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mbalabala</span> Village in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe

Mbalabala, originally known as Balla Balla, is a village on the main Beitbridge-Bulawayo road in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe. Situated approximately 41 miles (66 km) south-east of the city of Bulawayo. The name is derived from the Ndebele name for the greater kudu. It was originally rendered Balla Balla by Europeans, which was altered to its present name in 1982 by the Zimbabwean government in order to coincide closer with the local orthography.

JZ Moyo High School, formerly Majoda School, is a co-educational government high school. It is located in the former Majoda Farm, approximately 12 km north of West Nicholson on the road to Filabusi and Mavako, in Matabeleland South province, Zimbabwe. JZ Moyo High is part of the ZIMFEP group of schools.

The A6 is a highway in Zimbabwe running from the Beitbridge border with South Africa, through Gwanda, to Bulawayo. It is part of the R9 Route, which links Beitbridge with Victoria Falls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bubye River</span> River in Zimbabwe

The Bubye River, also known as Bubi River, is a tributary of the Limpopo River in Beitbridge District and Gwanda District, Zimbabwe. It rises about 40 kilometres (25 mi) to the northeast of West Nicholson in Matabeleland South, from where it flows southeast before joining the Limpopo about 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of the border with Mozambique. Its course forms part of the border between Mberengwa and Mwenezi districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hwange District</span> Administrative district in northwestern Zimbabwe

Hwange District is an administrative district in northwestern Zimbabwe, in southern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matabeleland South Volleyball Association</span>

Matabeleland South Volleyball Association (MSVA) is the governing body of volleyball, beach volleyball and other forms of volleyball in Matabeleland South, province of Zimbabwe. It represents the interests of the provincial club volleyball.

Lazarus Nkala, known in political circles by the nickname UMavava, was a Rhodesian trade union leader, activist, and revolutionary. Born in Filabusi in Matabeleland, he attended mission and government schools and trained as a builder. He worked in Bulawayo, and became a union leader and African nationalist activist. In the 1950s and 60s, he served in leadership roles in the Southern Rhodesia African National Congress, National Democratic Party, and Zimbabwe African People's Union. He was detained in 1964 and, with the exception of a three-week period the following year, was held in continuous detention for the next ten years. Upon his release in 1974, he was named Organising Secretary of the ANC, and attended the Victoria Falls Conference as part of Joshua Nkomo's delegation. He died shortly after in an automobile accident driving from Salisbury to Bulawayo.

The Colleen Bawn Solar Power Station is a 32 MW (43,000 hp) solar power plant under development in Zimbabwe. The project is owned by Pretoria Portland Cement Limited, who own a cement factory in Colleen Bawn and plan to consume 16 megawatts of the electricity generated and sell the rest to the Zimbabwe national grid.

References

  1. ↑ Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu and Paidamoyo Chipunza (16 November 2018). "30 Perish In West Nicholson Bus Accident". The Herald (Zimbabwe) . Harare. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  2. ↑ Google (26 July 2020). "Road Distance Between Gwanda and West Nicholson" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  3. ↑ Google (26 July 2020). "Distance Between Bulawayo And West Nicholson" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  4. ↑ Google (26 July 2020). "Distance Between West Nicholson And Beitbridge" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  5. ↑ Google (26 July 2020). "Location of West Nicholson, Zimbabwe" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  6. ↑ Tip Top Globe (26 July 2020). "Elevation of West Nicholson". Tiptopglobe.com. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  7. 1 2 The Rhodesian Study Circle (911). "West Nicholson Mine, Gwanda District". London: The Rhodesian Study Circle Organisation, United Kingdom. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  8. ↑ Google (27 July 2020). "Map Showing Umzingwane River in West Nicholson, Zimbabwe" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  9. ↑ Hunt in Africa (1990). "Population of West Nicolson, Zimbabwe In 1982". Huntinafrica.com. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  10. 1 2 Prince Sunduzani (14 October 2017). "JZ Moyo High believes in holistic, inclusive approach to education". The Chronicle (Zimbabwe) . Bulawayo. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  11. ↑ Google (27 July 2020). "Distance Between West Nicholson and JZ Moyo High School" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  12. ↑ "ZIMFEP: Education Through Production". Zimbabwe: Zimfep.org. 2012. Archived from the original (Archived from the original on 13 March 2012) on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.