The major estates of Zimbabwe: Hippo Valley case study

Hippo Valley Estate. Image credit wordpress.com

• Hippo Valley estate is located in the S.E Lowveld of Zimbabwe.
• Size-Large land of size 111 4555 ha leased to a company by government.
• Ownership-Ownership is by Anglo-American Corporation a TNC with headquarters in London.
• Products-Products that are produced include sugar cane, bananas, oranges and beef.
• It started off mainly by growing sugar cane but has diversified to enhance profits.
• Products are for the home and external markets.
• Employment-The estate employs 6 500 permanent workers and about 4 000 contract workers during the cane cutting period.
• Industrial growth- There is a sugar mill for processing cane and also an Afdis factory for making spirits and beers.
• Research and training– Next to the fence separating the estate from Chiredzi town, a sugar cane research station is suited to the environment to produce quality cane for export.
• Infrastructure-Hippo Valley High School, Chiredzi general hospital, banks, country clubs, pubs, beerhalls, roads, rails and thermal power station.

• Elsewhere in Africa, important estates are found in Malawi at Thyolo, Makwasha and Mulanje for tea.
• In Liberia estates are at Habel and Cavala for rubber and in Kenya at Kericho, Sotic, Wandi Hills and Limuru, all for tea.

To access more topics go to the O Level Geography Notes page