Administrative Information
Hwange District lies in the North-West part of Matabeleland North Province sharing its borders with Zambia to the
North, Botswana to the South-West, Tsholotsho District to the South-East, Lupane to the East, and Binga to the North.
Hwange is one of the largest districts in Zimbabwe with 20 rural wards covering a total area of about 2,195,658ha, of
which 75% of the land is under National Parks and Safaris. Approximately 99,003ha is arable land which constitutes
4.5%, while 13,5% constitutes grazing land and the remaining 7% are forests. Out of the 20 rural wards, 17 are communal,
one is resettlement (Ward 1), Ward 18 is peri-urban, while Ward 19 is national parks. The main business centres are
Chisuma, Cross Dete, Dete , Dickie, Kamativi, Lupote, Change, Jambezi, Indlovu, Mabale and Msuna
Hwange Rural District Council
Hwange Rural District Council was established through an Act of Parliament Rural District Council (Chapter 29:13) and is regulated through the same Act, as a Local Authority.
- Transparency
- Efficiency
- Integrity
- Teamwork.
Hwange rural has an estimated 2024 population of 75, 407 based on the Census 2012 population of 62, 649 and an estimated annual growth rate of 1.4%
The district has Kalahari sands which are dominated by dense deciduous woodlands with Teak (Baikiaea Plurijuga)
being the dominant tree species. Other tree species found in the area are Bush Willow (Combretum Collinum), Mopane
(Colophosphermum Mopane), Blood Wood (Pterocarpus Angolensis) and the famous Baobab tree (Adasonia Digitata).
The grass cover in the district is very poor with Aristida, Heteropogan and Dactyloctenium species being predominant.
The vegetation type is called tree – bush – savanna. Semi- extensive mixed farming involving small stock and cattle
production is practiced in communal areas in Hwange District. Wildlife contributes significantly to the economy of the
district.
Land degradation continues to be a challenge across the wards. With the coming of various investors engaged in
the mining and processing of coal in and around Hwange, there has been a significant increase in land degradation
especially in Ward 9 along Deka Road. The major challenges are erosion due to poor land management, poor soil
structures and excessive coal mining. Little efforts have been made to address land degradation problems.
There are five (5) hospitals, which are Victoria Falls hospital (Victoria Falls urban), Wankie Colliery mine hospital
(Hwange urban), Lukosi Rural hospital (Ward 13), The Health Bridge (THB) in Victoria Falls was set up in 2019 and St.
Patrick’s (Hwange urban) has been in existence since the early 2000. The Wankie Colliery Hospital mainly services the
mining company’s employees and their dependents although other people from the district have access to the health
facility.
Settlement Types
The main settlement types in the district are: communal, resettlement area, national park and peri-urban