Chipinge

Location

It is located in Chipinge District, in Manicaland Province, in southeastern Zimbabwe, close to the International border with Mozambique. The town in the high part of the District which is the heart of region one with the highest rainfalls. Its location lies approximately 170 kilometres (110 mi), by road, south of Mutare, the nearest large city. This location lies about 230 kilometres (140 mi), by road, east of Masvingo, on the road (Highway A-9) to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second-largest city, approximately 290 kilometres (180 mi), further west of Masvingo. The coordinates of the town are: 20° 12' 0.00"S, 32° 37' 12.00"E (Latitude:20.2000; Longitude:32.6200). Chipinge sits at an elevation of 3,635 feet (1,108 m), above sea level.

Overview

The average annual rainfall in Chipinge is about 1,105 millimetres (43.5 in). The hot climate and high rainfall are well suited to agriculture. The local farmers grow tea, coffeemacadamia nuts and Dairy cattle. The surrounding mountain slopes are covered with pine and acacia plantations. One of Zimbabwe's most famous landmarks, the Birchenough Bridge is located on the Sabi River about 50 kilometres (31 mi), northwest of Chipinge.

The town is the headquarters of Chipinge District and the main offices of Chipinge District Administration are located here. So are the offices of Chipinge Town Council. Royal Bank Zimbabwe, a commercial bank, maintains a branch in the town. Chipinge is also served by Chipinge Airport.

History

The town was known as Chipinga in the past. The area around Chipinge was the first place to grow tea in Zimbabwe, when Grafton and Florence Phillips smuggled seeds from Assam in British India in 1924. A white settlement began here with the arrival of Thomas Moodie's trek in 1893 and was called South Melsetter. Melsetter was the name of his family home in Scotland). In 1903 a police outpost was built here and in 1909 a school was built. The settlement was renamed Chipinga after a local chief in 1907 and in 1946 Chipinga got town status. Dairy farming was established early in the 1900s and by 1931 there were two cheese factories in operation. In 1945 a third cheese factory was open in the town but the same year saw the three factories being amalgamated to form one large factory. Cheese production at this facility continued until 1976. Tea was introduced in 1924 while coffee was introduced on a small scale but was not successful until 1950 when a coffee experiment farm was established.

Population

According to the 1992 Population Census, the town has a population of 11,582. In 2004, the town's population was estimated at 18,860. The results of the 2012 census indicate 25,675 residents in Chipinge Town.

Notable people

The ZANU – Ndonga political leader Ndabaningi Sithole was from Chipinge, and was elected to represent it in parliament in 1995 and 2000. It is also the birthplace of former Zimbabwean cricketer Guy Whittall.