BALLA BALLA (new Zimbabwe name – Mbalabala)
The skyline at Balla Balla is dominated by a huge granite kopjie commonly known as Baldy.
Not to be confused with Balla Balla Peak, several miles to the north, after which the village is named.
Rhodesian Place Names
BALLA BALLA (new Zimbabwe name – Mbalabala)
The skyline at Balla Balla is dominated by a huge granite kopjie
commonly known as Baldy.
Not to be confused with Balla Balla Peak, several miles to the
north, after which the village is named.
Latitude 29° 03' S; Longitude 20° 29' E; Altitude 1098 m (3,600 ft);
Rainfall 890 mm (35 in)
Balla Balla, which is the N'debele name for Kudu (Strepsiceros
capensis) is a railway station on the Bulawayo-West Nicholson
line. It is situated 66 km from Bulawayo, and is the railhead for
the mining area of Filabusi. The district is an important cattle
ranching area, where maize is the main crop and there are a
number of gold mines in the locality.
Balla Balla was originally known as Filabusi Siding which was
established on May 1, 1904, but its name changed in 1907, after a
nearby peak of that name. There is, however, some doubt as to
whether the original Filabusi Siding was located at the same spot
as the present Balla Balla. It is probable that the siding, prior
to 1907, was located somewhere between Balla Balla and Stanmore
Siding, and it is possible that the two places existed
simultaneously for a short time pending the establishment of the
new station at Balla Balla.
The village is situated on high ground, which forms a ridge
between the Umzingwani and Mbilambowe watersheds. A police
station was in existence until 1904, and police trooper, J. T.
Woods, in addition to his police duties, acted as Government
forwarding agent and Postmaster for the district.
A road was constructed from Belingwe to Balla Balla in 1906 via
Hibernia Mine with a view to affording a more direct
communication between Belingwe and the railway line. There was a
coaching service that carried passengers and mails between Balla
Balla and Belingwe which took 15 hours between these two centres
- a distance of 116 km, but with development of better roads and
private transport, the coaches were replaced by motorised
vehicles.
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Most of the information on this page is
extracted from the books :
"Avondale to Zimbabwe" written and published by R.
Cherer Smith ISBN 0-7974-0313-2 and
"Tabex Encyclopedia Zimbabwe" © Quest Publishing
ISBN 0-908306-04-0
with additional notes and photographs by the webmaster and other
contributors as acknowledged.