Marondera

Marondera, originally known as Marandellas, is a city in Mashonaland East, Zimbabwe, located about 72 km east of Harare. It was first known as Marandella's Kraal, corrupted from Marondera, chief of the ruling VaRozvi people who lived in the area. British colonialists as they were colonizing Zimbabwe, first used it as a rest stop on the way to Harare. Later destroyed in the Shona resistance of 1896, the town was moved 4 miles (6 km) north to the Beira–Bulawayo railway line. Constituted a village in 1913, it became a town in 1943. During the South African (Boer) War it was used by the British as a staging point for military operations into the Transvaal, and in World War II it was a refuge for displaced Poles. Marondera is a multicultural city, with a variety of ethnic groups and a Shona majority. Within the African population is a notable proportion of people of Malawian origin whose parents migrated and took employment on the white owned tobacco farms. White Maronderans are overwhelmingly of British descent, with smaller groups of Dutch, Afrikaans, Greek and other European heritage. Other minorities include mixed race and Asian residents. Most residents of Marondera are traditional or syncretic Christians, predominantly mainline Protestants, Roman Catholics, evangelicals and mapostori (a sect of Old Testament bible followers who live like ancient prophets and may dress in white robes). Islam is practised by a very small minority of people in Marondera, almost all of whom are Asians and people of Malawian descent. The indigenous people of Marondera descend mainly from the Shona royal families of Svosve, and the nearby royal households of Chikwaka , Nyashanu and others royal family lives there the Mashonganyika family etc. They are traditionally farmers. Marondera is renowned for its high quality educational institutions, which have educated many of the country's most prominent citizens. The junior schools include Godfrey Huggins, Tapfuma School, Dombotombo School, Springvale House, Digglefold,R.