Tafara

Mabvuku
Suburb, Township, Town
Scene at Kamunhu, one of the main shopping centres.
Nickname(s): bvakaz
Mabvuku
Coordinates: 17°53′24″S 31°8′51″E / 17.89000°S 31.14750°E / -17.89000; 31.14750
Town	Mabvuku
Elevation	1,473 m (4,833 ft)
Time zone	+2:00

Coordinates: 17°49′44″S 31°11′55″E / 17.82889°S 31.19861°E / -17.82889; 31.19861

Mabvuku is a high density suburb some 17 km east of Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe. It is classified as a suburb or township of Harare, with Harare City Council constituting local government. It encompasses in particular the townships that include Old Mabvuku and New Mabvuku, and more generally Old Tafara, and New Tafara (the latter two constituting Tafara properly speaking). Chizhanje is a former dormitory surbub of hostels very close to Old Mabvuku that is nominally part of Mabvuku.

Old Mabvuku dates back to the 1950s, with the oldest school in the suburb, Donnybrook Primary School dating back to 1954. New Mabvuku was built starting 1972 by the then Salisbury city council. Lately there have been expansions north and east via efforts by would be house owners through membership of housing cooperatives and voluntary contributions.

The origins of the Word "Mabvuku" are not very certain. Possibly from the Shona "-bvuku"–, ideophone for emerging, to denote the water sprouting out of the numerous swamps around the area. Ma- (place of)+ -bvuku (emerging waters) is a plausible etymology.

Mabvuku was the home of the VaShawasha people before colonisation. The Shawasha people of the Soko Mbire clan settled in this area c300years ago. Mabvuku as opposed to the present day site of Chishawasha is the native home of these people. The present site of Chishawasha village was given its prominence by the establishment of the oldest Catholic Mission Church there.

The ancestors of the Shawasha people are commemorated in the street and road names of Old Mabvuku, namely, Tingini, Godzonga, Marembo, Chauruka, Nyamare, Nyahuni, Chaitezvi, Nzwere, Shambare and Chatima's compilation of the praise poetry of the Shona corroborates these facts.