Bulawayo 1872

Bulawayo's Suburb Names, A to Z

Also known as Suburb names, Suburbs of Bulawayo.

Every name on the original Bulawayo suburb-names list, A to Z, with what is known of where each came from.

Every part of Bulawayo has a name, and almost every name has a story. Some names remember the Ndebele kings and their families. Some describe the land, its rivers and its trees. Some were brought by settlers from Britain, or chosen by property developers. A few, like Pelandaba, “the matter is concluded”, record a moment in the city’s own history.

This list began on this site in the mid-2000s, and much of it has since been reproduced elsewhere. Here it is in full, 127 names, A to Z. Places with more to tell have their own pages. For 40 names we still do not know the origin, and they are gathered on a page of their own, Suburb names we don’t know. If you can explain one, please tell us.

A note on how this list is arranged. The original list mixed every kind of neighbourhood together, as Bulawayo itself is now. We have kept it that way: one alphabet, every place in it. Where a name’s history involves the colonial division of the city, that is explained on the place’s own page.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

W

Sources
  • The original Bulawayo suburb-names list and its derivations, first published c. 2005–09.
  • The Herald (Zimbabwe), “Suburbs, street names origin explained”, and F. Q. Mabikwa, “Tracing the roots: How Bulawayo’s townships reflect city’s rich Ndebele heritage”, 2 November 2024, for the alternative tellings noted under Luveve, Sizinda and Emganwini.

Do you know more about this? Corrections, photographs and your own account are all welcome, and a correction is published on the page with the date it was made. Send something in.