Mashava

Mashava
Village
King Mine, Mashaba King Mine, Mashaba
Mashava Mashava in Zimbabwe map
Coordinates:
Country	Zimbabwe
Province	Masvingo Province
Climate	Cwa

Mashava (formerly known as Mashaba) is a mining village in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe and is located 40 km from Masvingo. Asbestos was and still is being mined in this small Zimbabwean town. There are three mines in the town: Gath's Mine, King Mine and Temeraire Mine.

Mashava now also has a sad problem of water. Water comes only twice a week and is always filthy from the rusty pipes. It is a sad situation that has caused illnesses in the civilians but has persisted for years.

Mines

Gath's Mine: The mining operations have stopped at this mine, though some of the major buildings are located here such as the General Office – Administration, the hospital, the training centre and the high(Chemberi) and low(Gath's) density residential areas for the workers.

Temeraire Mine: This place has also stopped operations and was until recently a services area with some of the departments still operating from there such as transport including the garage, laboritories, the mechanical machine shop,the electrical and civil departments. High (Mupatagore) and low(Temeraire, Eastvale and Westonlee)density residential areas still exist for the workers.

King Mine: This is only place left with mining operations, 1 Shaft and 2 Shaft, the Mill, and the Stores Department are located here. There are also high (Mambo) and low (King) density residential areas are also found here.

The mines were up until the '90s part of Shabani and Mashaba Mines owned by Turner and Newell, who then sold both mines to Mutumwa Mawere for £60 000 000 in a deal sponsored by the World Bank. Both are now under government control after Mawere left the country. The two mines mine asbestos, with Gath's Mine producing the longer fibre.

There are other mines in the area which have now all ceased operations such as D.S.O. Mine, Boss Mine, and Reedbuck formerly Lennox(Rex) Mine. Bere Township is also in existence and Balmain which is the main shopping centre for the town with 1 petrol station, the police station, the post office and a supermarket.

Latest rumour has it that the grandchildren of Turner and Newell intend to acquire the mines and resume full production. Chimuroyi Chehama sources, Leeds (UK) based have said negotiations are currently underway.

The situation today is that Shabanie and Mashaba Mines have stopped operating, though the government appointed administarator is still at work. However workers at Mashava are receiving low wages with a maximum of $US 52 after two or three months of fruitless promises. It is believed that management at Mashava and Shabani is being used to by the company's owners to sabotage the government's failure to run the country's once flourishing asbestos producing company.

Sadly the company has failed to sustain its poorly living workers and has therefore resorted to leasing most of its properties to outsiders and the new-comers Great Zimbabwe University. The university acquired property which includes The General Office Buildings located at Gaths Mine,which were turned into university offices, lectures rooms etc., the Cottage clinic that is located 150 meters west of the campus. At Mambo township the university acquired an approx of 40–50 houses for its students, leaving the desperate workers with no choice but to be relocated to Temeraire and King Mine, where most of the houses were not electrified, roofless and had no proper plumbing system. Gaths Mine Club and the club house, Halls and library were also leased to the University.

People

Most of the local population belongs to the Karanga Shona ethnic group. According to the 1992 Population Census, the mining had a population of 15,507.

Name

The name Mashava came from the local "Karanga" term – "Makomo Mashava" meaning the "red mountains". However, the most popular and widely used derivation today is "mavhu mashava", which means "red soil" – most people who live in surrounding villages and districts still call it by this long phrase even today.

University

Coming of the university has seen many workers fleeing the fruitless company to seek job opportunities at the university. Most qualified technicians have opted to work as general hands at the university. Rumors have circulated that investors are eying their arrows at the company but recent speculations (Jan 2014) are that the company will surrender its housing property to the workers it owes money in back logs. Residential areas include Low Density – Westonlee, Eastvale, Temeraire (Low and High Density), King (Low and High Density) and Gaths (Low and High Density).