Posted by baalhousseynou -
November 22, 2013 -
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Chitungwiza — known colloquially as Chi Town — is a high-density dormitory town in Zimbabwe. The town is approximately 30 kilometres south of the capital, Harare. It was formed in 1978 from three townships: Seke, Zengeza, and St Marys.
Chitungwiza has several suburbs. The most famous of the suburbs is St Mary's which is divided into two sections, Manyame Park (New St Mary's) and Old St Mary's. Seke is an aggregation of many sections whilst Zengeza is composed of 5 different sub-sections; Zengeza 1 to 5. Zengeza 4 is near the Chitungwiza Shopping Complex which is popularly known as the "Town Centre" (which in turn is located in Seke's Unit "D". In Seke there is "Makoni" which is a smaller shopping centre which houses several flea markets and a bus depot. There are more than 15 different housing estates in Seke which are named after the alphabet. There is Unit A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, O, and Unit P. The houses are mostly high density detached units of single storey with a small yard that is generally used for growing vegetables and during the summer rainy season also corn (maize) known locally as the meal.
There is one main highway that connects the town to Harare which is in serious need of maintenance as of 2007.[2] Public transport is composed of regular single level buses and more reliably minibus taxis (called emergency taxis locally). All public transport services tend to be overcrowded throughout the day due to shortages of vehicles and spare parts experienced as a result of the country's poor economic performance under the Mugabe regime. Chitungwiza has over 30 primary schools and over 25 secondary schools. Zengeza High School is the best school in Chitungwiza and a pride for many in the town.
Chitungwiza is located in the traditional territory of the Hera people. Its most distinguished historical figure is the Pasipamire, the pre-colonial svikiro (spirit medium) of Chaminuka. He is remembered for predicting the colonisation of the country by the British.
Johane Masowe we Chishanu is the largest religion whilst the economy is mainly supported by informal trading.
Chitungwiza gained full municipal status in 1996 and is the third-largest and the fastest-growing urban centre in Zimbabwe. According to the 2002 Population Census, the town had a population of 321,782. However, its true population is closer to one million[citation needed]. Most of the people work in Harare, as there is very little industry in Chitungwiza. There are growth points (an urban area with limited tax breaks) there and bus ranks. The Chitungwiza town council is dominated by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
Due to the incompetency of the city fathers, Chitungwiza is in a serious water crisis. few boleholes have been drilled to cater for the population. Despite all its efforts to gain a city status, Chitungwiza does not have any traffic lights(robots).
Chitungwiza was one of the areas targeted by Operation Murambatsvina in 2005 in which many residents lost their homes and businesses. Mugabe and his cronies intends to redo the Operation Murambatsvina style once again, since people in the town are known for supporting the opposition.
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