Guruve
Guruve (formerly Sipolilo) is a town in Mashonaland Central Province. It is ±150km north of Harare.
History
Sipolilo was named after a local chief, Chipolilo. It is on the Dande River, and is the trading centre for administrative capital for Guruve District. It is largely a small scale farming area, but has some significant tobacco growing. [1]
Population
Guruve has a population of 184 828. The area is rich in Wildlife and the CAMPFIRE project was introduced to conserve wild life. This has benefited the area in terms of roads and infrastructure.
Development has also been brought by presence of Granite stones, which are used make tombstones and crafts. Mushumbi Pools (Mermaid Pools) are located in the district and tourists used to frequent this place. The district also houses the famous Tengenenge sculpture community. The Community was founded by Tom Blomefield in l966 and is situated 150 kilometers north of Harare at the foot of the Great Dyke. The difference with other villages is the occupation of the inhabitants: they all make a living from sculpting. The village is an open-air gallery. More than 11.000 sculptures are exhibited, made by over 300 different sculptors each having their own style, performance and stand. [2]
Guruve is serviced by Guruve Hospital.
Government
In the 1990 Parliamentary Election (see A History of Zimbabwean Elections) Guruve returned to Parliament:
- Ephraim Chafesuka of Zanu PF, Unopposed
In the 2000 Elections, (see A History of Zimbabwean Elections) Guruve North returned to Parliament:
- Paul Mazikana of Zanu PF with 20 513 votes,
- Allan McCormick of MDC with 2 370 votes,
- Margaret Chagadama of UP with 668 votes.
Guruve South returned:
- Edward Chindori-Chininga of Zanu PF with 19 988 votes,
- Gift Chimankire of MDC with 3 239 votes.
In the 2013 Elections, (see A History of Zimbabwean Elections) Guruve North returned to Parliament:
- Epmarcus Kanhanga of Zanu PF with 21 911 votes or 88.67 percent,
- Andrew Mupunga of MDC–T with 2 118 votes or 8.57 percent,
- Kudakwashe Chimanikire of MDC–N with 683 votes or 2.76 percent,
Total 24 712 votes
In the 2013 Elections, (see A History of Zimbabwean Elections) Guruve South returned to Parliament:
- Chriswell Mutematsaka of Zanu PF with 18 804 votes or 87.18 percent,
- Tinei Karise of MDC–T with 2 069 votes or 9.59 percent,
- Noel Chimanikire of MDC–N with 695 votes or 3.22 percent,
Total 21 568 votes
The Guruve local government is Guruve RDC.
Infrastructure
Guruve is serviced by Guruve Hospital.
