Masvingo Province: Difference between revisions

| other_name = Victoria Province

| image_map = Masvingo in Zimbabwe (adm).svg

| population_as_of = 20122022 census

| population_total = 14850901,638,528

| blank_name_sec1 = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (20182021)

| blank_info_sec1 = 0.559588<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{Cite web|url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/|title=Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab|website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|language=en|access-date=2018-09-13}}</ref><br/>{{color|#fc0|medium}} · [[List of Zimbabwean provinces by Human Development Index|4th of 10]]

'''Masvingo''', previously named '''Victoria''', is a [[Provinces of Zimbabwe|province]] in southeastern [[Zimbabwe]]. It has a population of 1.485638 million as of the [[Zimbabwean2022 census, 2012|2012 census]], ranking fifth out of Zimbabwe's ten provinces. Established as '''Victoria Province''' by the [[British South Africa Company]], it was one of the five original provinces of [[Southern Rhodesia]]. In 1982, two years after Zimbabwean independence, it was renamed Masvingo Province. The province is divided into seven districts, including [[Masvingo District]], which contains the provincial capital [[Masvingo]] City.

Masvingo Province is bordered by [[Matabeleland South Province]] to the southwest, [[Midlands Province]] to the northwest, [[Manicaland Province]] to the northeast, and [[Mozambique]] to the southeast. It has an area of {{convert|56566|km2|mi2}}, equal to 14.48% of the total area of Zimbabwe. It is the third-largest in area of Zimbabwe's provinces, after [[Matabeleland North Province|Matabeleland North]] and [[Mashonaland West Province|Mashonaland West]]. A diverse province, the [[Shona people|Karanga]], a [[Shona people|Shona]] subgroup, form the majority, with minorities of [[Shangaan|Shangani]] in the southeast and [[Northern Ndebele people|Ndebele]] in the west. Its economy is largely centeredcentred around [[agriculture]] and [[tourism]]. Masvingo Province is home to the [[Great Zimbabwe]] ruins, a [[World Heritage Site]] and major tourist attraction.

The town of [[Masvingo|Fort Victoria]] was founded in 1890 and was the first large settlement to be established by the [[Pioneer Column]] of the British South Africa Company which makes it the oldest town in Zimbabwe. It was named [[Masvingo|Fortin Victoria]]honour afterof [[Queen Victoria]].

The province is largely populated by members of the [[Shona people|Karanga]] tribe, who are the most populous tribe in Zimbabwe, and are a sub-group of the Shona speaking tribes that also include the [[Zezuru]], [[Manyika]], and [[Ndau people|Ndau]]. MasvingoThe province, known before 1982 as Victoria province, is in the drier [[Veld|lowveldt]] area in the south of Zimbabwe. Thebut however, the boundaries werehave undergone changedsome slightlychanges in the 1980s. From white settlement until 2000 most of the area was devoted to cattle ranching, with mining and [[sugar cane]] growing (irrigated from [[Lake Mutirikwi|Mutirikwi]]), and communal areas where subsistence farming is carried out. With the land reforms of the early 21st century large scale cattle and mixed farms are being redistributed to small farmers.

[[Masvingo]] (formerly Fort Victoria) is the capital of the province. [[Chiredzi]] and [[Triangle, Masvingo|Triangle]] are other major towns in the province. Other towns include Mashava and the newly upgraded Mpandawana which used to be a growth point. The province is dominated by the [[Save River (Africa)|Save]], [[Runde River|Runde]], [[Mwenezi River|Mwenezi]] and [[Limpopo River|Limpopo]] river systems which all either join or drain directly into the [[Indian Ocean]]. The only notable mountain range is the [[Chimanimani Mountains]] in the east. [[Kopjes]], grey and bald in the hot sun, dot the countryside. Mopanewith mopane trees,which are drought tolerant and sturdy, are found throughout the province.

Masvingo province has a tropical savannah climate and is located in the low veld of the country where rainfall is minimal and uncertain. aA large part of the southern partarea of the province is drought prone, set as region 5 in the country's climatic regions. Most parts of the province, therefore, are generally unfit for agriculture, apart from cattle ranching.<ref>However Masvingothe havelow mostveld ofhas thea educatedthriving populationsugar industry which is fed by Mutirkwi and Tugwi-Mukosi river systems. Sugar produces in Zimbabwethis area satisfies local demand and is exported to neighboring countries.<ref> Millions in need of food aid [http://allafrica.com/stories/200308200129.html](accessed 17 February 2008)</ref><ref>Experiment success [http://allafrica.com/stories/200209160239.html](accessed 17 February 2008)</ref><ref>Harsh Times [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE7DD1630F93BA15755C0A961948260] (accessed 17 February 2008)</ref> [[Hippo Valley]] estates in [[Chiredzi]] and [[Triangle, Masvingo|Triangle]] use the water from [[Lake Kyle]] for irrigation.

Despite the aridness, the residents of the province are proud tillers of the earth and like most Bantu tribes in [[Southern Africa]] they practise animal husbandry to supplement their diets. In fact, like the rest of the country, their most prized possessions are cattle, which patriarchs demand as [[lobola]], bride-price (dowry), in return for the hand of their daughters in marriage. The status of men in the villages in the province is assessed according to the number of cattle they possess - those with no cattle are not considered men. Cattle owners were dismayed during the drought of 1992 when then 90 percent of the cattle in the province died of famine.<ref>Cattle Ruslting [http://allafrica.com/stories/200305230001.html](accessed 17 February 2008)</ref>

The provinceMasvingo has an area of 56,566&nbsp;km²² and a population of approximately 1.3 million (2002). The [[Shona people|Karanga]] form a majority inof the province's population and [[Shona language|Shona]] is the primary language. In [[Chiredzi District]], there are communities of [[Shangaan|Shangani]] people while those of the [[Northern Ndebele people|Ndebele]] are found on the western edge of the province. To the north-east, are found the [[Ndau people|Ndau]]. The white population has declined continuously since independence, heightenedespecially during the invasions of white commercial farms in 2000. In fact, the first farm invasion occurred in Masvingo Province and the rest of the country followed suit.

The province's leader is a governorMinister for Provincial Affairs appointed by the country's president for a five-year term of office. The current Minister is Ezra Chadzamira appointed in 2018. The province also sends six elected members to the [[Senate of Zimbabwe|Senate]] plus a number of chiefs. In addition, twenty six members of parliament, selected from the province's seven districts, are sent to the [[House of Assembly of Zimbabwe|House of Assembly]].