 Masvingo is a town in south eastern Zimbabwe and the capital of Masvingo Province. Known as Fort Victoria until 1982, when its name was briefly changed to Nyanda. Within a few months its name was again changed to Masvingo when it was discovered that Nyanda did not translate very well across dialects.
The population was 30,523 in 1982 and rose to 51,743 in 1992. It had a population of approximately 58,000 in 2002. Masvingo is located 292km south of Harare. It is the oldest colonial settlement in Zimbabwe, and grew up around the encampment established in 1890 by the Pioneer Column en route to their eventual destination, Salisbury. |
