Matabeleland brief background history and profile

The Matabeleland Region in Zimbabwe is divided into 3 provinces which are Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South and Bulawayo. These 3 provinces are in the West and South-west of the country between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers. Matabeleland gets its name from the inhabitants of the region who are the Ndebele people. According to historians the Ndebele were originally an offshoot of the Nguni people of Natal which is now South Africa, who migrated northwards in 1823. The Matabele (as they were then known) settled in about 1840 in what is now southwestern Zimbabwe,a region that was given the name of Matabeleland by Europeans in the mid-19th century. The political history of the  region since Zimbabwe gained independence has allegedly been characterised by marginalisation, exclusion and frustration. The major city, Bulawayo which  had once been an industrial hub of the country is now characterised by closed industries, crippled financial support, serious water shortage and power supply. It has been named a scrapyard by President Robert Mugabe.