Zvishavane, originally known as Shabani, is a mining town in the Midlands Province, Zimbabwe. Surrounded by low hills, it lies 97 kilometres (60 mi) west of Masvingo (Fort Victoria), on the main Bulawayo-Masvingo road. Other roads lead from Zvishavane to Gweru, 121 kilometres (75 mi) north, and Mberengwa, 27 kilometres (17 mi) south-west. It is also on direct rail links to Gweru and Beit Bridge which then link up with Harare and Bulawayo in Zimbabwe and to Maputo in Mozambique, and Pretoria in South Africa. It has a private airport serving the city. There was a small Jewish Community in the town during the 1920-1950s with 10-15 families.

The town developed as a residential centre for Shabani Mine, which started operations in 1916 to supply asbestos during the First World War. Growth was slow due to poor communications until the railway reached the town in 1928. Although the asbestos mine is the biggest producer of the mineral in Zvishavane, platinum, gold, beryl, chromite, iron ore at Buchwa and huge deposits of diamond at Murowa are also mined in the area. The surrounding area is dominated by cattle ranching, while peasant agriculture is practiced in the nearby communal lands of Mberengwa and Buchwa. The administration of Zvishavane has developed over the years to keep pace with its growth. A Village Management Board was set up in 1921 and replaced with a Town Management Board in 1930. It was granted municipal status in 1968.

Below are photographs from the Jewish cemetery with seven headstones taken in July 2023 by Noble Moyo, a professional grave cleaner and maintenance person.  If you have any stories related to the Zishivane or a family connection or know the names on the headstones please contact the editor.

Click on the images below to enlarge and view the captions and then the left/right arrows to scroll through the images.  The last image is actually a video clip of the cemetery.

Update 11th Sept 2023 – we received a number of video clips from Noble Moyo after he was assigned to clean and restore the headstones as best as possible. Some of the lettering could not be restored because of the original technique used, according to Noble.  To view these clips please go to the ZJC Youtube channel.

On the 20th Sept 2024 – Mududzi Noble Moyo visited Zvishavane again and restored two additional graves.  One is of the late Harry Rubinstein z”l and the other is of the late Nathan Gordon z”l whose headstone had fallen and was in disrepair. Mduduzi has worked hard to restore the Gordon grave to its rightful place (but laid flat to avoid future vandalism) and has cleaned and fixed the lettering. If any members of the ZJC knew these men and can share any information – please let us know. Thanks again to Mduduzi Oba Moyo – I encourage all members of the ZJC to support his work in whatever modest way they can – he can provide details.