Maranda, locally known as "No. 1", is a small business center on the northern edge of Mwenezi (District). It is the home town of Dr. Love

Paul Matavire

Paul Matavire was a blind Zimbabwean musician and songwriter born in Maranda, Mwenezi District. He rose to prominence in the 1980s when he joined the Jairos Jiri Band based in Bulawayo at the Jairos Jiri Rehabilitation Centre. He was then elected to lead the Jairo Jiri Band, as one of Zimbabwe's...

, Paul Matavire

Paul Matavire

Paul Matavire was a blind Zimbabwean musician and songwriter born in Maranda, Mwenezi District. He rose to prominence in the 1980s when he joined the Jairos Jiri Band based in Bulawayo at the Jairos Jiri Rehabilitation Centre. He was then elected to lead the Jairo Jiri Band, as one of Zimbabwe's...

 the former popular musician and Nikita Mangena

Nikita Mangena

Alfred Nikita Mangena , born Alfred Mangena in the Maranda area, commanded the Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army , the militant branch of the Zimbabwe African People's Union, in the Rhodesian Bush War...

, ZIPRA

ZIPRA

Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army was the armed wing of the Zimbabwe African People's Union, a political party in Rhodesia. It participated in the Second Chimurenga against white minority rule in the former Rhodesia....

 military leader during the Second Chimurenga war. It is a center of trade in the district, with people coming to sell their cattle in week long trade fairs. The centre has a clinic and government agriculture and water offices.

Geography

Maranda is surrounded by granite mountains such as Bangwe, Rasha and Nemande. These are the source of the Mushawe River

Mushawe

The Mushawe River is a right-bank tributary of the Mwenezi River in Zimbabwe. It rises in the Nemande mountain area and flows through the Maranda area to join the Mwenezi River dowsntream of Manyuchi Dam, Mwenezi District....

, which flows through the business centre and supplies the centre with water. the water is abstracted from the alluvial aquifer

Aquifer

An aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...

 below the Mushawe River, and is generally available year-round

Rainfall is erratic and the vegetation is savanna dominated by grasses and Mopane

Mopane

The mopane or mopani tree grows in hot, dry, low-lying areas, in elevation, in the far northern parts of southern Africa, into South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, Angola and Malawi. The tree only occurs in Africa and is the only species in genus Colophospermum...

 trees. In the days of old, the villagers used to plant millet

Millet

The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...

 and sorghum

Sorghum

Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...

 but these days most villagers plant maize on account of the high yields associated with it.

Market

No. 1 is a popular destination in the district, especially during the week-long market days when residents from the surrounding villagers descend on the business center to sell their merchandise. Most people sell their cattle, while other just come to the market to dance to sungura music from singers like Alick Macheso

Alick Macheso

Alick Macheso is a contemporary musician, often referred to as the king of sungura. Born and raised in Shamva, Alick rose to fame in the late 1990s as a solo artist with Orchestra Mberikwazvo. He is well known throughout all of Africa as one of the most successful African singers and ranked among...

 and Khiama Boys.

Government & politics

Maranda is in ward 9, in the newly created House of Assembly

House of Assembly

House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level....

 seat of Mwenezi West

Mwenezi West

Mwenezi West is the sub-district curved out of Mwenezi District for the 2008 House of Assembly elections. It is found in southern Zimbabwe south of the might Mwenezi River....

.