What is "gutu"

Gutu is the third largest district in Masvingo Province, southern Zimbabwe, after Chiredzi and Mwenezi. It is the northernmost district in the province. The name "Gutu" is historically reported to have emerged from "Chinomukutu wemiseve" – meaning, "the one with a load of arrows". This is according to oral historical folklore of the "Gumbo" clan who are said to have taken over the area from the "Shiri" clan through killing them by poisoning the fruit trees in the "Gona" area. Mupandawana is the largest district service centre. It was designated as a "growth point" during the early years of independent Zimbabwe together with such places as Gokwe in the Midlands Province and Juru in Mashonaland East province. Mpandawana gained town status in April 2014.

It was home to the late Oliver Munyaradzi, Simon Muzenda, former vice president of Zimbabwe as well as Vitalis Zvinavashe, a Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces and politician. The late Air Vice Marshal Josiah Tungamirai was also a native of Gutu. Gutu Mission Hospital found in the district, is one of a numbers of center for HIV/ AIDS treatment in the province. The population is mostly the Karanga, a Shona sub-tribe. It is one of a few districts in the province where the standard of living is above average. Gutu Rural District council is in charge of the day-to-day running of the district.

Gutu is a Senatorial constituency in the Senate of Zimbabwe. It covers most of the Gutu district in Masvingo Province, and is one of six senatorial constituencies in the province.

The equivalent seats in the House of Assembly are:

• Gutu North
• Gutu South
• Gutu East
• Gutu West
• Gutu Central

In the 2008 election, the constituency elected MDC member Empire Makamure as senator, defeating General Vitalis Zvinavashe. Afterwards during the recount, Zvinavashe told other ZANU-PF candidates on April 23 that they needed to "accept the reality" that the MDC had won, and he stressed that the importance of preserving peace. He blamed Mugabe for the ZANU-PF candidates' defeat, saying that the people of Masvingo had rejected Mugabe and that the parliamentary candidates suffered as collateral damage.