The City of Masvingo derives its name from the national shrine of the country, the Great Zimbabwe National Monument.  Masvingo is a Shona (indigenous language) name, which means “Building Made out of Stones”.  The City, was resuscitated in 1890 by a British Pioneer Column, which had identified the area as ideal for a capital city of the country, then called Fort Victoria. 

However, the idea of a capital city was abandoned when the present capital city of Harare was discovered and established as Salisbury. The settlement continued to grow until it became a Town Council in 1926 and a Municipality in 1953.  Masvingo attained city status in February 2002...