Place names in Zimbabwe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Following independence in 1980, Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) began renaming cities, towns and streets, in an attempt to eradicate symbols of British colonialism and white minority rule, starting in 1982, on the second anniversary of independence. The capital Salisbury, which had been named after the British Prime Minister, the 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, was renamed Harare, after the Shona chief Neharawa. Other place names were simply new transliterations, to reflect the correct African pronunciation, hence Gwelo became Gweru.
| Old name | Post-1982 name |
|---|---|
| Enkeldoorn | Chivhu |
| Essexvale | Esigodini |
| Fort Victoria | Masvingo |
| Gwelo | Gweru |
| Gatooma | Kadoma |
| Hartley | Chegutu |
| Marandellas | Marondera |
| Matopos | Matobo |
| Melsetter | Chimanimani |
| Que Que | Kwekwe |
| Umtali | Mutare |
| Salisbury | Harare |
| Selukwe | Shurugwi |
| Shabani | Zvishavane |
| Sinoia | Chinhoyi |
| Wankie | Hwange |
| Inyanga | Nyanga |
The country's second largest city, Bulawayo was unaffected, as were the towns of Beitbridge, Colleen Bawn and West Nicholson, despite their European origins. The names of suburbs in Harare, such as Borrowdale, Rotten Row, Rietfontein, Tynwald, and Mount Pleasant also remained unchanged. An exception was Harari, which was renamed Mbare.
Street names were also changed, with names of British colonists such as Cecil Rhodes being replaced with those of Zimbabwean nationalist leaders, such as Josia Tongogara, Simon Muzenda, and Leopold Takawira, as well as Robert Mugabe, whose name appears on street signs as frequently as that of Rhodes once did. Other streets have been named after leaders of neighbouring countries, such as Samora Machel of Mozambique, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia and Nelson Mandela of South Africa. Others have a general pan-African nationalist theme, such as Africa Unity Square, formerly Cecil Square.
While these changes have had general acceptance, except among some whites, a more controversial practice has been the recent renaming of schools after Robert Mugabe, prompting accusations of a personality cult.
[edit] Name of the country
The de facto name of the country has also changed several times. It was first known as Southern Rhodesia, but when Northern Rhodesia achieved independence as Zambia the government introduced a Bill to allow the country to be known as just Rhodesia, which passed its third reading on December 9, 1964. Although no assent was given to the Bill, the new name was still used by the government and following U.D.I. in 1965 it was the name of the unrecognised government.
From 1889-1892 the country was known as Zambesia. This is now the name of a province in Mozambique. From 1893 the territory that comprised Matabeleland, Mashonaland, and Fort Victoria (Masvingo) became known as South Zambesia.
Following the internal settlement of 1978, when the new institutions of government came into power on June 1, 1979 the country adopted the name Zimbabwe Rhodesia. The Lancaster House Agreement required that the United Kingdom regain temporary administration before free elections and independence, and this happened on December 11, 1979 under the resurrected name of Southern Rhodesia. Independence was granted under the name of Zimbabwe on April 18, 1980.
