Zaka District

Zaka district is a typical Karanga smallholder farming area, which is a semi-arid, mountainous area with rainfall averaging 6–800 mm/yr. The soils are generally poor. Subsistence farming is the main economic activity and the main crops grown are maize, groundnuts, cotton, sorghum finger millet, sunflower and pumpkins. The population density is more than 65 persons/km2, which is quite high for a mountainous area where subsistence farming is the main economic activity. It is the most densely populated rural district in the province and probably in the whole country. Big rivers that flow through include Chivaka, Shange, Chiredzi, Mushavhukwi, Murerezi,Mukwasine, etc. Smaller rivers include Mungwezi, Nyamidzi, Rupiri, Chiredzana, Benzi, Marutanda, Mananga makambe and Nyatare. The district has one of the biggest lakes in Zimbabwe, Manjirenji. Manjirenji generates hydro-electric power and irrigates thousands of hactres of sugarcane in Mkwasine Estates. There are many small dams in the district, including Bangala, Makambe and Mabvute dams. The area has many mountains, some of them being Biri, Ngwana,Bvuma, Machena, Norongwe, Mutudza,Dambara, Gwangwangwa, Zingomayi, Majuru, Hopa, Gondora, Chimbire, Maparanganda, Gadzi, Mware, Uroyi, Gato and Mushungwa.

The traditional and colonial centre of administration was Zaka (also known as Zaka Office) which is located about 87 km from Masvingo city. The district administrator, magistrate courts, registrar general's office and main police station are all still housed at Zaka centre while other services including district education offices are now based at Jerera growth point seven kilometres further south. There are five or so traditional chiefs, namely Chief Nyakunhuhwa (Shumba), Chief Bota (Moyo-Charuka), Chief Ndanga (Gumbo), Chief Nhema (Moyo), Chief Chamburukira (Moyo). These are the custodians of customary laws and they are empowered to adjudicated in traditional hearings. Villages under chief Bota especially those located close to Rudhanda and Chivamba business centres include Rwanhoya, Ruzembera, Muroyi, Svinurai, Chikoho, Gwindingwi, Guvanye, Chiduwa, Bwazvo, Rwauya, Chipfunde, Chivamba, Chandipwisa, Chipfuti, Madzivire, Tizirai, Zvada. Other areas within Zaka are Charuka, Mushungwa, Vhudzi, Fube, Dzoro and Muzondidya, Dabwa, Machiva, Dekeza (Sviba), Sazaume, Zingwena, Musenyereki popularly known as 'ku Mashenjere or Ku Mabvumo', Mudzara, Harava, Veza, Chinorumba, Zibwowa, Benzi, Chipfunde, Chiredzana, Chenhaka, Chevhu, Mutembwa, Chiromo, Mbengwa, Munjanja,Svuure,Siyawareva Zinguvo, Four miles, Ndanga, etc.

Residents of Zaka district mainly rely on peasantry farming and support from breadwinners working in big towns and cities. Until recently, teacher and nurses used to be the major sources of formal income to the small economy of Zaka. However, many, including the uneducated, have fled the country for South Africa.
Jerera growth point accommodates the district administrative offices and is the hub of the district's activity with locally owned shops selling mainly groceries. Other activities include income-generating projects like poultry, cattle ranching, welding and soap making. NGOs- like CARE International -doing humanitarian work in the district are also based at the growth point.
Though the area suffers erratic power supplies, GSM boosters were recently installed at the growth point and Dambara mountain (Chief Bota's area) by Econet Wireless for its subscribers. The districts boast of a tarmac road that passes through it to access nearby towns of Masvingo and Chiredzi. The people of Zaka District are also supported with Supermarkets like Mutema, Chingwanga, Flexmart and Musana.

The district boasts of a good number of primary and secondary schools run by churches and the rural district council. Literacy is among the highest in the country, and the district is home to some of the best-educated people in the country. Among the schools is St. Anthony's High School (www.stanthonyhigh.co.zw) from which veteran educationists and historians Fabian Nhengeze and Stephen Davidson Zhara worked. St. Anthony's was the first school to offer Advanced level education in the district in 1985 followed by Rudhanda High School some years later. Currently, there are even more A-level schools including St. Joseph Tongoona, Panganai, Matara, Benzi, Chimedza, Chinorumba, Mutimwi, Mutonhori, Zaka High, St James High which serve Maraire, Majuru, Museki, Tovane primary schools. Though it seems there are now many schools, many children still travel great distances of up to 10 kilometres the to nearest school. Up the District in Mutsambwa area lies Wasarawapata High School which has proved to be the best of all the schools since its inception as a high school in 2008. It has maintained a 100% overall pass rate up to date. With the commercials class toping the lead in the pioneers class, Kundai Machaya proved his excellency by attaining a total of 15 straight points in Economics, Business Studies and Accounting which was a significant achievement to the school due to limited resources.

Zaka district is typically Christian/Traditional religion society. Most people practise Christianity and African Traditional Religion concurrently though almost all claim to be Christian. The Catholic Church is the dominant Christian congregation having established a mission and most of the primary schools in the district since the early colonial years. Church of Christ also establisbed a fair number of both primary and secondary schools under Mashoko Christian Schools including Matara High and primary, Chamburukira primary(est. 1923), Pasipanyoro primary, Manyiri primary and Chiromo primary and Secondary to the south. The Dutch Reformed Church (now Reformed Church in Zimbabwe) also set up a good number of schools including Jichidza in the north. There is also a sizable number of people who are members of Zion Christian Church (ZCC, the fastest growing church in the country, which is also championing education in the area), St Engenas ZCC, End Time Message, Janga Mission, Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM), ZAOGA, Families of God (FOG), Vapositori, and various other congregations. Traditional beliefs are still prevalent and are being practiced. If you try to steal in someone's field, you can get stuck and fail to leave until you pay some reparations.

There is a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the district.
There are two main hospitals; Ndanga District Hospital run by the government and Musiso Hospital at St. Anthony's Mission run by Masvingo Catholic Diocese. The hospitals suffer a major shortage of doctors, and at one time, a single expat doctor at Musiso was the only doctor in the district. There are several primary health centres (clinics) established or extended with donor funding across the district, and they include Fube, Siyawareva, Nyagambu, Chinyabako,chiredzana,Zibhowa and Manhubvu. There are two uncompleted clinics at Benzi and Chevhu.