Chatsworth, Zimbabwe
Encyclopedia
Chatsworth is a small village in the Masvingo Province of Zimbabwe
. It is located about 58 km north of Masvingo
on the Masvingo-Gweru
railway line. The settlement started in 1911 as a railway station.
It is located 280 km south of the capital Harare, 70 km North of the regional capital Masvingo by road and about 60 km by rail and 40 km west of the local authority location at Gutu.
The main employer at Chatsworh is the Police Force. Chatsworth has an unusually large police station for a hamlet that size. The reason for that is the station serves a very wide sparsely populated rural area. Crime is traditionally very low.
Makaure Township: developed as more and more non-railway workers arrived to work in businesses serving the settlement. These included shops, the transport sector, the cattle farming sector, etc. Makaure Township later included the area formally belonging to the black railway workers. All of it comprised small houses, most of which did not have electricity till the early 1980s. They were all which meant for black people during the colonial era.
Chatsworth Suburb, formerly for whites only during colonial times, is situated about a mile out of town and those traveling through Chatsworth can easily miss it. The suburb has much bigger houses and the residents are generally much more affluent than those in Makaure Township.
Chatsworth has no commercial bank. All banking is done either at the post office or in Masvingo City 70 km to the south or Gutu 30 km to the east
s have affected the local habitat and local economy. The area used to be a big producer of fruits such as mango
es, guava
s, peach
es, and wild fruits. Most of these fruit trees have died during droughts, and have been difficult to replace.
Local Animals and other lively things:
Hare
, buck, snake
s, monkeys, a wide variety of birds such as (doves
, owls
, brown eagles, king fishers, swallow
s, etc.), locusts, and others. Domestic animals are mainly cattle, donkeys, and some sheep. Goats do not thrive.
-powered carts, but for distances less than 15 km, most people walk.
The shops in the Makaure Township
are built in a quadrangle
, the middle of which serves as the local bus station. 5 minutes walk from that is the local railway station. The bus station also serves as the station for minibuses and lifts. Lifts are part and parcel of Zimbabwean means of travel. If you get a lift from any driver, expect to pay slightly higher than the bus rates. When in Zimbabwe, never, never travel alone in a car. It is not environmentally economic.
, so that a traveler is never lost. However, because the local language, Shona
, is a fast language, people speak English just as fast and that may cause visitors some initial difficulty.
Foods
Local diet consists of a variety of foodstuffs as listed below. The main difference between European food and Zimbabwean rural food is the amount of meat in the diet. Rural Zimbabwe consumes a lot less meat. They also eat more fresh foods and fruit. The main challenge in rural Zimbabwe is food preservation. Most food is produced during one or other season and needs to be preserved so that it is available throughout the year. New and cheap methods of increasing the efficiency of preservation are always welcome to locals.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. It is located about 58 km north of Masvingo
Masvingo
Masvingo is a town in south-eastern Zimbabwe and the capital of Masvingo Province. The town is close to Great Zimbabwe, the national monument from which the country takes its name.- History :...
on the Masvingo-Gweru
Gweru
Gweru is a city near the centre of Zimbabwe at . It has a population of about 146,073 , making it the third largest city in the nation. Gweru is the capital of Midlands Province. Gweru was founded in 1894 by Dr. Leander Starr Jameson. The first bank opened in Gweru in 1896, and the stock exchange...
railway line. The settlement started in 1911 as a railway station.
Name
The village was first called Makori, then Makowries and in 1919 renamed Chatsworth. The naming was mainly done by the developers who were mostly white, which is why there is no obvious trace of the original name meanings. They did not speak the local languages and they tried to modify the local place names so they could spell them. The local name, Makaure, is still locally used and is the name of the township and a local primary school. It comes from being the name of the local hill, which sits in the middle of the township to the south, and the more affluent low density residential to the north.Location
Latitude 19.38S Longitude 030.51E Altitude 1365m /4478 ft (according to peg on railway line).It is located 280 km south of the capital Harare, 70 km North of the regional capital Masvingo by road and about 60 km by rail and 40 km west of the local authority location at Gutu.
Population
The hamlet itself has less than 1000 residents. The areas around are sparsely populated mostly by subsistence farmers and semi-commercial farmers.Industry
The main industry around is farming. All other activities at Chatsworth are there mainly to support farming. The soil in the area is not good enough for growing crops but is more suitable for cattle ranching.Well paid employees get less than USD$40 per month.The main employer at Chatsworh is the Police Force. Chatsworth has an unusually large police station for a hamlet that size. The reason for that is the station serves a very wide sparsely populated rural area. Crime is traditionally very low.
Health provision
A well staffed clinic was built at Chatsworth during the late 1980s to provide primary health care to Chatsworth and its surrounding areas. Of late it has suffered the same shortages of medicines as other clinics and hospitals in the country, but it continues to serve its community well. The main cause of death in the area is HIV which has claimed the lives of many during the last decade.Schools and public entities
- Two primary schools at Chatsworth (Although Chatsworth is too small to have two schools, they were built during the time when blacks and whites were not allowed to mix in schools. Now the two schools serve the new farmers settled round the village)
- Rufaro Mission School (Secondary) about 6 km to the north.
- Serima Mission School about 40 km to the north east
- Makomba Secondary School about 15 km to the south
- Marongere Primary School sharing grounds with Makomba
- St Theresa Primary School about 12 km south west
- St Frances Secondary School about 15 km south-west.
- Chiriga Primary and Secondary School
Residential suburbs
The first residential village to be built at Chatsworth was probably the Railway worker's village. Because of the then segregatory rules between blacks and whites, the village was built in two parts. The pre-fabricated corrugated tin two roomed shacks to the east of the railway line for black workers, and the large houses for white workers to the west of the railway line. The brick houses are still there, and still owned by the railways, but the shacks have been replaced by small two roomed houses, mostly owned by private residents.Makaure Township: developed as more and more non-railway workers arrived to work in businesses serving the settlement. These included shops, the transport sector, the cattle farming sector, etc. Makaure Township later included the area formally belonging to the black railway workers. All of it comprised small houses, most of which did not have electricity till the early 1980s. They were all which meant for black people during the colonial era.
Chatsworth Suburb, formerly for whites only during colonial times, is situated about a mile out of town and those traveling through Chatsworth can easily miss it. The suburb has much bigger houses and the residents are generally much more affluent than those in Makaure Township.
Commercial entities
- Six small shops
- One bottle store (sells CASTLE lager, Zimbabwe's own brand)
- One petrol station and garage
- One super market which has been shut since 1998
- One farmers' supplies shop
- One bakery
- One general engineering workshop
- One grinding mill for grain milling
- One post office
- Large police station, (the biggest employer)
- One small open market by the bus station
- One children's home under construction since April 2005
Chatsworth has no commercial bank. All banking is done either at the post office or in Masvingo City 70 km to the south or Gutu 30 km to the east
Rainfall
Successive droughtDrought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
s have affected the local habitat and local economy. The area used to be a big producer of fruits such as mango
Mango
The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
es, guava
Guava
Guavas are plants in the myrtle family genus Psidium , which contains about 100 species of tropical shrubs and small trees. They are native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America...
s, peach
Peach
The peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...
es, and wild fruits. Most of these fruit trees have died during droughts, and have been difficult to replace.
Local Animals and other lively things:
Hare
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
, buck, snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s, monkeys, a wide variety of birds such as (doves
Doves
Doves are an English alternative indie rock band, originating from Wilmslow, Cheshire. The band comprises brothers Jez Williams and Andy Williams , and Jimi Goodwin . The members started working seriously together after meeting at The Haçienda in Manchester. Doves' unofficial fourth member is...
, owls
OWLS
OWLS is a mnemonic used by general aviation airplane pilots to assess an unprepared surface for a precautionary landing.Like all mnemonics this check has become part of aviation culture and folklore.OWLS:* Obstacles* Wind direction...
, brown eagles, king fishers, swallow
Swallow
The swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding...
s, etc.), locusts, and others. Domestic animals are mainly cattle, donkeys, and some sheep. Goats do not thrive.
Transport system
Public buses, train, bicycle, oxOx
An ox , also known as a bullock in Australia, New Zealand and India, is a bovine trained as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castrated adult male cattle; castration makes the animals more tractable...
-powered carts, but for distances less than 15 km, most people walk.
The shops in the Makaure Township
Township
The word township is used to refer to different kinds of settlements in different countries. Township is generally associated with an urban area. However there are many exceptions to this rule. In Australia, the United States, and Canada, they may be settlements too small to be considered urban...
are built in a quadrangle
Quadrangle (architecture)
In architecture, a quadrangle is a space or courtyard, usually rectangular in plan, the sides of which are entirely or mainly occupied by parts of a large building. The word is probably most closely associated with college or university campus architecture, but quadrangles may be found in other...
, the middle of which serves as the local bus station. 5 minutes walk from that is the local railway station. The bus station also serves as the station for minibuses and lifts. Lifts are part and parcel of Zimbabwean means of travel. If you get a lift from any driver, expect to pay slightly higher than the bus rates. When in Zimbabwe, never, never travel alone in a car. It is not environmentally economic.
Literacy rates
Literacy rates remain high at over 90%. Most people speak at least two languages including EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, so that a traveler is never lost. However, because the local language, Shona
Shona language
Shona is a Bantu language, native to the Shona people of Zimbabwe and southern Zambia; the term is also used to identify peoples who speak one of the Shona language dialects: Zezuru, Karanga, Manyika, Ndau and Korekore...
, is a fast language, people speak English just as fast and that may cause visitors some initial difficulty.
Foods
Local diet consists of a variety of foodstuffs as listed below. The main difference between European food and Zimbabwean rural food is the amount of meat in the diet. Rural Zimbabwe consumes a lot less meat. They also eat more fresh foods and fruit. The main challenge in rural Zimbabwe is food preservation. Most food is produced during one or other season and needs to be preserved so that it is available throughout the year. New and cheap methods of increasing the efficiency of preservation are always welcome to locals.
- Sadza made from maize meal, rapocco meal or sorghum meal is the staple diet
- Vegetables such as can be grown in the garden. You will notice each family grows its own and they pick only when they need.
- Meat such as chicken, beef, lamb, and game. Most families keep their own chickens.
- Fruit: there is a wide variety of fruit such as mangoes, guavas, oranges, lemons, apples, etc., and some wild fruit which, like any other fruit are seasonal.
Water sources
In normal circumstances each rural family has its own well or there is a communal well. These tend to dry up during the frequent droughts that affect Zimbabwe. For Chatsworth itself, the piped water comes from Munyambe Dam a few km east along the Gutu Road. The dam is large enough to supply Chatsworth even during droughts. The water from a well is always the best water and does not require purification. Most wells are covered up so that nothing has access to the water. Recently there has been an effort to encourage people to consider other sources of water.- storing rainwater in underground tanks: Although this is a good idea, the cost of the system is prohibitive
- Recycling water: This is going to have to be the way forward for many.
Interesting features
- Rubwerumwe: A precariously balanced rock on top of a tall but thin pillar type rock. This is on a hill on the south border of the hamlet and is a pleasant place to loiter with your loved ones and to take photos
- The bottle store: An interesting way of spending one's evenings. In the summer you need mosquito repellant.
- Mr Tauzen's bee hives: This man will show you the art of bee keeping the local way. He boasts over 20 bee hives all kept high up in the trees where he can go up and harvest a large quantity and climb down with it without losing his life or his honey
- Munyambe Dam: This water feature is within walking distance of Chatsworth, and is popular with fishermen from the local area.