Shurugwi: History
Selukwe was established in 1899 by the British South Africa Company and Willoughby's Consolidated Company. Its name was derived from the local Ndebele chief Selukwe Dlodlo, the brother of Somabhulane Dlodlo of Somabhula and Nalatale Dlodlo of the Great Dlodlo and Nalatale Ruins.
The district remains an important centre for gold, chrome and platinum mining, but it is perhaps best known as the home district of Ian Douglas Smith, a former Prime Minister of Rhodesia, who owned the 1,600 ha (4,000 acres) Gwenoro Farm near Gwenoro Dam.