town, northeastern Zimbabwe. It was originally called Abercorn, and its present name was derived from a Shona word meaning “to become friendly.” Located at the site of a sandstone reef that once yielded large quantities of gold, the town is overshadowed by giant mine dumps at the foot of Shamva Mountain, which is conspicuous because of the huge gash running almost through it. Shamva was the scene of what was probably the first strike (1927) by African workers in what was then Rhodesia. The town serves as a local market centre, and, after the discovery of a large nickel deposit, mining again became significant. Pop. (2002 prelim.) including mining area, 10,220.